Cost of living crisis Low-paid workers miss out on £326 government help

Some people on universal credit have had their much-needed payments reduced to zero because of a quirk in the system

- Zoe Wood

Some low-paid workers on universal credit have missed out on the government’s first cost of living payment because of payroll quirks that removed their benefit entitlement during the key window set by the government.

“I was going to use it to load up my gas meter, get ahead on my electricity and fill up the freezer,” says David Evans, a 55-year-old IT apprentice, of his plans for the £326 payment that, in recent weeks, has been landing in the bank accounts of struggling Britons.

Evans is paid weekly, but universal credit is calculated on a monthly basis. Therefore, for four months of the year, when his claim is based on five rather than four weeks’ pay, he does not receive anything. “I get about £140 in the months I am entitled to a payment,” he says.