DWP will distribute cold weather payment as long as '7 day rule is respected' | Personal Finance

Cold Weather Payments are additional one-off payments of £25 that are paid if the average temperature where you live drops to 0°C – zero degrees centigrade – or lower for seven or more consecutive days.

Last winter, 2023-24, at least 600,000 cold weather payments were made in England and Wales, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The previous year, about 5.5 million cold weather payments were made to about 3.7 million people.

To get cold weather compensation, you will need to claim certain benefits. If you live in Scotland, Cold Weather Payments have been replaced by the Winter Heating Payment which is paid automatically regardless of weather conditions.

You will benefit from the following benefits, including:

Pension credit
income support
income-based jobseeker’s allowance,
income-related employment and support allowance – in an activity related to the work of a support group
universal credit
support for mortgage interest.

In addition to qualifying for these benefits, you will also need to meet other criteria. So, if you receive income support and income-based jobseeker’s allowance, you will also need to:

a disability or pension bonus
a disabled child
child tax credit which includes an element of disability or serious impairment
a child under five years old living with you

If you receive income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are part of a work-related activity group or work-related support group, you will receive benefits for cold weather.

If you don’t fall into either group, you will still receive cold weather benefits if you have:

a severe or increased disability premium
a retiree bonus
a disabled child
child tax credit which includes an element of disability or serious impairment
a child under five years old living with you

If you are on Universal Credit and you and your partner are on Universal Credit and are classed as employees or ‘paid self-employed’, you will also need to have:

a health problem or disability and limited work capacity (with or without work-related activity)
you have a child under the age of five living with you
an amount for a disabled child in your application

If you get payment of mortgage interest (SMI) you will also need to have one of the following to qualify for cold weather payments:

a severe or increased disability premium
a retiree bonus
you have a disabled child
a child tax credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
a child under 5 years old living with you

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) measures temperatures in all UK postcodes. So, if the average temperature in your area is recorded or forecast to be 0°C or lower for seven consecutive days, you will automatically receive a cold weather payment.

The temperature is recorded by a weather station closest to your zip code; you can go online and check the temperature by entering the first part of your postal code.

Payments are automatic, but if you are over state pension age and think you are entitled to Cold Weather Allowance, you will need to contact the Pension Helpline.

There are other types of help available during the winter months, including:

The Warm Homes Discount Program

This is a £150 reduction on your energy bill and the reduction is automatically applied to your energy bill between October and March.

Winter fuel payment

This is a one-off annual payment of £200 or £300 to anyone born before September 25, 1957. It is only paid to older households and you will need to claim Pension Credit.