£150 cost of living disability payment STILL delayed for some, Government admits - but all  should be paid by the end of this week

On the delayed payments, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) told us: "We are working through enquiries we have received via the Gov.uk missing payment form and are contacting people on whether or not they are eligible for the £150 payment. For those eligible, we have been manually processing payments where the automatic payment bounced back or was not processed, which could be for a number of reasons.

"These people make up a tiny fraction of overall cases and we expect remaining outstanding cases to be concluded in the next week. We will also continue to pay people going forward if they are subsequently determined to be eligible."

There are a few explanations for why those expecting to receive a payment are still waiting:

• You may not be eligible.

• You may not have had confirmation of your disability payment by the 25 May deadline.

• You may have been paid but the money bounced back.

The DWP said it will contact you if you have filled out its missing payment form. If you haven't received your payment and think you should have, you should fill in the missing payments form on Gov.uk. 

MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) had previously reported that "not one" disabled person had been paid in the days following 20 September. It came after a straw poll by MSE founder Martin Lewis on social media found that more than 6,500 people hadn't received the payment within the first few days. The DWP then told us on 23 September that "operational issues" had led to delays. 

Martin asked his followers on Twitter if they'd received the payment

If you don't receive your payment but are expecting it, contact the DWP

Use its online claims form. 

To appeal an unsuccessful benefits claim, go to the Gov.uk website.

Those on certain disability benefits are eligible for the £150 top-up

If you receive any of the following benefits, you could be eligible for the extra cash:

• Adult disability payment (in Scotland)

• Armed forces independence payment

• Attendance allowance

• Child disability payment (in Scotland)

• Constant attendance allowance

• Disability living allowance for adults

• Disability living allowance for children

• Personal independence payment

• War pension mobility supplement

You must have received a benefit payment before 25 May 2022 to get the money

To get the £150, you must have received one of the benefits above by 25 May 2022. Or, if you started to make a claim by 25 May 2022 and the claim ended or ends up being successful, you should also get the payment.

The DWP had said those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May 2022 – for instance, those who were already receiving it or had successfully applied by then – were expected to be paid shortly after the payment window opened on 20 September 2022.

For those still waiting for confirmation of their disability benefits on 25 May 2022, or who are waiting to be assessed for eligibility to receive disability benefits, the process may take longer.

Payments will be automatic – you do not need to apply

If you're eligible for the £150 payment, you shouldn't need to apply. If you're eligible, you'll be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefits or tax credits.

However, be warned that if you get a cost of living payment and the DWP later finds you weren't eligible, you may have to pay it back.

Check if you qualify for a bigger cost of living support payment

To be eligible for the wider £650 cost of living payment, which will be paid in two parts, you need to be in receipt of any of the following benefits:

• Child tax credit

• Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)

• Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)

• Income support

• Pension credit

• Universal credit

• Working tax credit

If you started to make a benefits claim by 25 April 2022 and the claim ended up being successful, you will be eligible for both parts of the payment. Most claimants have now received the first £326 payment.

The second payment of £324 will come from 8 November for those who don't only claim child tax credit or working tax credit. You will be eligible for this if you were entitled to any of the applicable benefits before 25 September 2022 - even if you weren't before 25 May 2022.

If you only claim child tax credit or working tax credit, you would have needed to have received a tax credit payment, or an annual award of at least £26, on any day between 26 April 2022 and 25 May 2022 to be eligible for the first payment. For the second payment, you needed to have received a tax credit payment on any day between 26 August 2022 and 25 September 2022. You should have got a first payment in September, followed by a second from 23 November.

You don't need to apply for the grant. If you're eligible you'll automatically receive the money straight into your bank account.

Don't forget about the warm home discount

If you get pension credit or are on certain benefits, you should also get the £150 warm home discount payment, which is paid automatically. The scheme requires suppliers with more than 50,000 customers to help vulnerable people in the UK pay for their energy.

However, some people on certain disability benefits, such as disability living allowance, personal independence payment or attendance allowance, who got the payment previously won't get it this winter as the Government changed the rules on who is and isn't eligible in April.

For those who will get it, the money isn't paid to you – it's a £150 rebate applied to your electricity or gas bill between October 2022 and March 2023. If you're on a prepay meter, you'll usually be sent a top-up voucher. See full details in our Housing and energy grants guide. Be aware that households in England and Wales don't need to apply for the Warm Home Discount, though households in Scotland must continue to do so.