Cold Weather Payments are a form of financial support provided by the government to help eligible individuals with their heating costs during periods of very cold weather. They are designed to assist those who are most vulnerable to rising energy bills when temperatures plummet.
**What are Cold Weather Payments?**
* **Purpose:** To help people on certain benefits cover extra heating costs during cold spells.
* **Amount:** You get **£25** for each 7-day period of very cold weather between **1 November and 31 March**.
* **Trigger:** Payments are triggered automatically when the average temperature in your local area is recorded as, or forecast to be, **0°C or below for seven consecutive days**.
* **Geographic Scope:** Available in **England, Wales, and Northern Ireland**. Scotland has a different system called the Winter Heating Payment.
**Who can get Cold Weather Payments?**
You may be eligible to get Cold Weather Payments if you receive one of the following benefits:
1. **Pension Credit**
2. **Income Support**
3. **income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)**
4. **income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)**
5. **Universal Credit** (with specific conditions, see below)
6. **Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)**
**Specific Eligibility Conditions by Benefit:**
* **Pension Credit:** You will usually get Cold Weather Payments automatically.
* **Income Support or income-based JSA:** You’ll usually get payments if you receive a severe disability premium, a pension premium, or if you have a child under 5 living with you.
* **income-related ESA:** You’ll usually get payments if you receive a severe disability premium, a pension premium, or if you are in the work-related activity group or support group.
* **Universal Credit:** You’ll usually get payments if you are not employed or self-employed and one of the following applies:
* You have a health condition or disability and have a limited capability for work (with or without a work-related activity element).
* You have a child under 5 living with you.
* You have a disabled child element in your Universal Credit claim (whether employed or not).
* **Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI):** You’ll usually get payments if you are receiving SMI and you have a severe disability premium, a pension premium, or a child under 5 living with you.
**How Payments are Made:**
* **Automatic:** You do not need to apply. If you’re eligible, you will receive the payment automatically into the bank account where you receive your benefits.
* **Check Eligibility:** You can check if payments are due in your area by using the government’s postcode checker tool (available on the Gov.uk website).
If you believe you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but haven’t, it’s best to contact your local Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service. For those in Northern Ireland, contact the Department for Communities.
