Thousands of benefits claimants risk missing out on the second half of the £650 cost of living cash if they didn't claim a payment during a 30-day window.
The Government is issuing the money to people on means-tested benefits to help with the rising cost of living.
The £650 is being split into two parts, £326 paid from July and £324 being paid between November 8 and November 23.
Under-fire Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said the targeted support would help people through the difficult coming months.
But to get either payment, claimants must have qualified for benefits during August 26, 2022 and September 25, 2022.
You will also need to claim one of the following benefits: Universal Credit, income-related Employment Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support or Pension Credit.
The Government said the payment will be made separately from your benefit.
A small number of claimants may be paid the £324 after November 23, 2022 – for example, if they were deemed unable to claim certain benefits, but won backdated entitlement on appeal, or where payments were rejected due to invalid account details.
The Department for Work and Pensions says it will seek to contact claimants directly if there are issues or delays.
You will not be eligible for the cost of living payment if your earnings reduced your Universal Credit to £0 for the qualifying assessment period.
There are some other exceptions where benefits claimants will not get the second £324 cost of living payment in November.
The first is people who get housing benefit and no other benefit.
Housing benefit is means-tested, but these claimants will not get the £650.
That is because HM Revenue & Customers can only track down people who claim housing benefit to pay them the £650 if they claim other benefits too.
The former Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, advised housing benefit claimants to access the Household Support Fund.
This is a pot of Government cash, being handed out by local councils as cash or vouchers.
Household Support Fund grants are intended to help people on low incomes pay for everyday essentials. Exact eligibility criteria, and the amount of money on offer, will vary between different local authorities.
The Household Support Fund is due to last until March 31, 2023.
To get grants from the Household Support Fund, applicants must contact their local authority.
If you’re not sure what your local council is, you can find out by entering your postcode into the Government’s online tool .
The second exception is people who get Tax Credits - that's Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit.
Those on Tax Credits have been paid their first half of the £650 from September 2, and will get their second payment in the winter.
The Government has not yet announced the exact day when Tax Credits claimants will get their second payment of £324.
