Cold Weather Payments

Due to the recent prolonged cold weather in many parts of the UK, residents in certain postcode areas who are in receipt of one of the benefits listed below will  receive a ‘Cold Weather Payment’ towards their heating costs. The qualifying benefits are:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit

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.

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

This is paid into the bank account registered to receive benefit payments and will be made within 14 days of the end of the cold weather period.

To check if your postcode area is eligible you can use the following tool here:

https://coldweatherpayments.dwp.gov.uk/

If you are struggling with heating costs or keeping warm at home contact our Warm Homes service for free impartial advice on 0116 305 4286. A wealth of information and advice can be found on our Warm Homes pages here.