Get £25 for each 7-day period when the temperature drops to 0°C or below. Automatic payments for eligible benefit recipients in England, Wales & Northern Ireland.
Use the official government postcode checker to see if your area has experienced cold weather that triggered a payment.
Check Your Postcode NowCold Weather Payment is a government benefit that provides extra financial support to help with heating costs during periods of very cold weather. The scheme is designed to assist vulnerable people on low incomes when temperatures drop dangerously low.
You receive £25 for each 7-day period when the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below.
Examples:
Multiple payments can be triggered throughout the winter season if there are separate cold periods.
The Cold Weather Payment scheme operates from 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
To qualify for Cold Weather Payment, you must:
You may be eligible if you receive:
| Benefit | Additional Criteria Required |
|---|---|
| Pension Credit | None (automatically eligible unless living in a care home) |
| Income Support | Must have: pensioner or disability premium, OR a disabled child, OR a child under 5, OR receive Child Tax Credit with disability element |
| Income-based JSA | Must have: pensioner or disability premium, OR a disabled child, OR a child under 5, OR receive Child Tax Credit with disability element |
| Income-related ESA | Must have: severe or enhanced disability premium, OR pensioner premium, OR a disabled child, OR a child under 5, OR receive Child Tax Credit with disability element |
| Support for Mortgage Interest | Must have: severe or enhanced disability premium, OR pensioner premium, OR a disabled child, OR a child under 5, OR receive Child Tax Credit with disability element |
| Universal Credit | Must meet: you or partner not employed/gainfully self-employed, AND (have a health condition/disability with limited capacity for work OR have a child under 5) |
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The Met Office monitors weather stations across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each postcode area is linked to a specific weather station.
A payment is triggered when the average temperature at your linked weather station is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius (32°F) or below for 7 consecutive days.
If you have two homes or move during a cold spell, you'll only receive payment for one location. If you live in a care home for part of the week, special rules apply - contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus for advice.
Scotland does NOT have Cold Weather Payments. Instead, the Scottish Government provides a Winter Heating Payment - a single annual payment of £58.75 to eligible people.
Key differences:
For more information: Visit mygov.scot/winter-heating-payment
The easiest way to check if your area has qualified for a Cold Weather Payment is to use the official government checker:
Enter the first part of your postcode (e.g., "SW1" or "M1") and you'll see:
If your postcode shows a payment was due but you haven't received it:
You won't get Cold Weather Payment if you live permanently in a care home. Your heating costs are included in your care home fees.
If you go into hospital, you should tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus. Long hospital stays may affect your payment eligibility for that cold period.
If you or your partner are employed or gainfully self-employed, you generally won't qualify for Cold Weather Payment on Universal Credit unless you have a child under 5 or limited capacity for work due to health conditions.
If you receive a qualifying benefit, there's no additional income test for Cold Weather Payment. But you must be receiving the benefit itself (which is means-tested).
From winter 2024-25, Winter Fuel Payment is no longer universal. Only those receiving Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits now receive £200-£300 annually. This is separate from Cold Weather Payment and can be received alongside it.
A £150 one-off discount on your electricity bill between October and March. Automatic for Pension Credit recipients and low-income households. Applied directly to your energy bill, not cash.
Local councils have funds to help with food, energy, and water costs. Eligibility and amounts vary by council. Contact your local council to check availability and apply.
Most energy companies offer grants, payment plans, and hardship funds. Contact your supplier if you're struggling with bills - they have schemes to help:
Ensure DWP/Pension Service has your current bank details where you receive benefits. Payments are made automatically to this account.
From November onwards, check the official postcode checker weekly during cold snaps to see if payments have been triggered in your area.
Tell DWP immediately if you move house, go into hospital, have a new baby, or if a child under 5 moves in - these can affect eligibility.
Cold Weather Payment is just one source of winter help. Also claim Winter Fuel Payment, Warm Home Discount, and council Household Support Fund.
Cold Weather Payment depends on actual weather - some winters have zero payments, others have 5+. Don't rely on it for budgeting.
If your postcode shows payment was due but you didn't receive it within 14 working days, contact DWP immediately with evidence from the checker.
No, you don't need to apply. If you receive a qualifying benefit and your area experiences 7 consecutive days at or below 0°C, you'll automatically receive £25 within 14 working days.
The payment is made to the same bank account that receives your benefit payments. There's no application form or claim process.
There's no limit to the number of payments you can receive. You get £25 for each separate 7-day cold period between 1 November and 31 March.
In a particularly cold winter, you could receive £100+ (4+ cold spells). In a mild winter, you might receive nothing. It depends entirely on the weather in your specific postcode area.
No. Cold Weather Payment is completely separate from your other benefits and does not count as income. It won't reduce:
You also don't pay tax on Cold Weather Payment, and it doesn't need to be declared to HMRC.
Your postcode is automatically linked to the nearest Met Office weather station by the Department for Work and Pensions. You cannot choose a different weather station, even if you feel another station better represents your local conditions.
This means your neighbor in a different postcode area might receive a payment when you don't, if their postcode is linked to a different (colder) weather station.
Unfortunately, there's no appeal process for weather station allocation - payments are based strictly on the designated station for your postcode.
Generally no, unless you meet specific criteria. To get Cold Weather Payment on Universal Credit when working, you must:
If you're employed or gainfully self-employed without these circumstances, you won't qualify for Cold Weather Payment even if you receive Universal Credit.
No payment. The cold weather must last for a full 7 consecutive days at or below 0°C to trigger a payment.
If it's 0°C for 6 days, then warms up, then goes cold again, the count restarts. Each cold spell must be a continuous 7-day period.
This can feel unfair - you might have multiple short cold spells but receive no payment because none lasted the full 7 days.
Yes, if you receive a qualifying benefit. Sheltered housing residents are eligible for Cold Weather Payment as long as they:
Sheltered housing is different from a care home. Care home residents don't get Cold Weather Payment because heating is included in care fees.
The £25 payment is meant to contribute towards extra heating costs during very cold weather, but many argue it's not enough.
Reality check: Running central heating for an extra 2-3 hours per day during a cold week can cost £30-50 depending on your system and energy tariff. The £25 helps but may not fully cover the additional expense.
Consider combining Cold Weather Payment with:
Amount: £25 for each 7-day period when temperature hits 0°C or below in your postcode area.
Dates: 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland only - Scotland has different system).
Eligibility: Must receive Pension Credit, Income Support, JSA, ESA, Universal Credit, or Support for Mortgage Interest, plus meet additional criteria.
Automatic: No application needed - paid within 14 working days to your benefit payment account.
Check payments: Use gov.uk/cold-weather-payment postcode checker to see if your area has qualified.
Multiple payments possible: No limit - you can receive several payments if there are multiple cold spells throughout winter.