Cold Weather Payments – Keep Warm For Less

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With energy bills continuing to rise, ensure you’re fully informed about the Cold Weather Payment scheme – it’s financial assistance available from the government to help keep your heating costs down over the winter.

1 Overview of the Cold Weather Payment

You may get a Cold Weather Payment if you’re getting certain benefits.

You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below for 7 consecutive days.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme runs from 1 November to 31 March.

You’ll get a payment of £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

Cold Weather Payments are different to Winter Fuel Payments.

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2 How Much is the Cold Weather Payment

You’ll get £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. It’s paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.

Cold Weather Payments don’t affect your other benefits.

3 Eligibility

You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:

• Pension Credit

• Income Support

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Universal Credit

Pension Credit

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Pension Credit.




Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and have any of the following:

• a disability or pensioner premium

• a child who is disabled

• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element

• a child under 5 living with you

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Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get income-related ESA and have any of the following:

• the support or work-related component of ESA

• a severe or enhanced disability premium

• a pensioner premium

• a child who is disabled

• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element

• a child under 5 living with you

Universal Credit

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Universal Credit, you’re not employed or self-employed and one of the following apply:

• you get a limited capability for work element (with or without a work-related activity element)

• you get the disabled child element in your claim

• you have a child under 5 living with you

You’ll also be eligible if you have a disabled child element in your claim, whether you are employed or not.

4 How to Claim

You don’t need to apply. If you’re eligible to get a Cold Weather Payment, you’ll be paid it automatically.

If you have a baby or a child under 5 comes to live with you
Tell Jobcentre Plus if you get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance and you’ve had a baby or a child under 5 has come to live with you.
You won’t automatically get Cold Weather Payments if you don’t.

If you don’t receive your Cold Weather Payment
Tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus office if you think you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but you haven’t.

If you’re getting Universal Credit, contact the helpline instead.

Universal Credit helpline
Telephone: 0345 600 0723
Textphone: 0345 600 0743
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

5 Hospital Stays

Tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus office if you go into hospital – this could affect your payment.

If you’re getting Universal Credit, contact the helpline instead.

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Winter Fuel Payment >

Get the Warm Home Discount – £150 >

Receive an Alert in Weeks when the Cold Weather Payment is Due

Receive a free email alert and monthly newsletter and find out when you could receive a Cold Weather Payment, and receive an update on the qualifying age for the £100-£300 Winter Fuel Payment.

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