What are Cold Weather Payments?
Find out if your area has received payment
You can now use the postcode search to find out if your area has received payment triggered by cold weather
Cold Weather Payment postcode search Opens new windowCold Weather Payments can help people who are in receipt of certain benefits with their additional heating costs during winter.
A payment will be made for each seven day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.
A network of weather stations covering the whole of Great Britain will gather temperature information. Payments will be made when the local temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days.
Who can get Cold Weather Payments?
If you are in receipt of Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), you may also be able to get Cold Weather Payments.
Pension Credit
If you are in receipt of Pension Credit, you will usually receive Cold Weather Payments.
Income Support and Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
If you are in receipt of Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you will usually receive Cold Weather Payments if you also have any of 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 five living with you
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
If you are in receipt of Income-related ESA, you will usually receive Cold Weather Payments if you also 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 five living with you
How much do you get?
You will get £25 for each seven day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.
‘Very cold weather’
Payments will be made when the average temperature for where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days.
Effect on other benefits
Cold Weather Payments will not affect other benefits you may be getting.
How to apply
Find out if your area has received payment
You can now use the postcode search to find out if your area has received payment triggered by cold weather
Cold Weather Payment postcode search Opens new windowYou don't need to apply. If you can get a Cold Weather Payment, you’ll be paid it automatically.
Cold Weather Payments are usually paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments. After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should receive a payment to your account within 14 working days.
If you should get a Cold Weather Payment but don’t receive one
Tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus if you think you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but you have not had one.
If you are in receipt of Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
If you have had a baby or a child under five has come to live with you, you will need to tell Jobcentre Plus about this. If you do not, you won’t automatically receive any Cold Weather Payments you should get.
Contact Jobcentre Plus (employment section)
Who to contact at The Pension Service (pensions and retirement planning section)
Winter Fuel Payments
Cold Weather Payments are different from Winter Fuel Payments which are made every winter to people over 60, regardless of the temperature.
