THOUSANDS of households across the UK are eligible for £25 cold weather payments if they’re in receipt of certain benefits.
As temperatures plunge below zero, vulnerable households can claim the cash support to help afford their energy bills.
Thousands are set to receive the cold weather payment for every seven-day-period of frosty weather, from this month until March next year.
The £25 is distributed to help with bill costs as it becomes more expensive, and more difficult, to stay warm.
The first round of 2024/25 was triggered this week across 18 postcode areas after the Met Office announced amber weather warnings in parts of the UK.
Those who are eligible should receive the payment automatically to their bank account within 14 days – meaning you don’t need to apply.
But in order to be eligible, households must be living in one of the select postcodes affected, as well as claiming one of the following benefits:
- Pension Credit
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Universal Credit
- Support for mortgage interest
You may also need to meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Have a disability or be in receipt of pension premium
- Have a child who is disabled
- Be in receipt of child tax credits that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Have a severe or enhanced disability premium
- Be in receipt of a limited capability for work amount
- Have a child under five living with you
To find out more about eligibility, you can read the most updated information on the Government website.
Getting the cold weather payment doesn’t affect any of your other benefits.
You can also get multiple payments if the cold weather persists beyond seven days.
For example, some areas have paid as much as £75 in the past.
To check you’ve received the payment, you should look out for an exact code in your bank statement.
For those living in England and Wales, it should appear as the customer’s National Insurance (NI) number followed by “DWP CWP”.
Whereas those living in Northern Ireland should look for their NI number followed by “DFC CWP”.
If you haven’t automatically received your payment within the 14 days but think you should have, you should tell the Pension Service or Job Centre Plus.
In rare cases you may need to apply – for example, if you are on Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and have had a baby or have a child under of five living with you.
To request or query your payment call the Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469 or find your nearest Jobcentre by visiting find-your-nearest-jobcentre.dwp.gov.uk/.
Which postcodes are getting cold weather payments this week?
You can only get the cold weather payment if the postcode you are living in has been triggered by severe weather.
This is usually when temperatures are forecast to dip below zero degrees for seven consecutive days, making it critical that families can afford to heat their homes.
Here’s a full list of the first 18 postcodes eligible in the current round of payments:
- Carlisle: CA9-12, CA16-17
- Dumfries and Galloway: DG14
- Galashiels: TD9
- Lancaster: LA8-10, LA21-23
- Newcastle upon Tyne: NE19, NE47-NE49
Further cold weather could lead to additional payments in other areas, and there is no maximum limit to the amount you can receive.
You can check if you are due a cold weather payment in the future by visiting coldweatherpayments.dwp.gov.uk.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
If you aren’t able to access the cold weather payment but are still concerned about heating your home, there are plenty of tips you can try to keep the cold at bay.
Electric blankets are cheap to buy and cost just 3p per hour to use, and this winter Octopus Energy is giving them out to customers for free.
We also ranked the best electric blankets in our article here – however make sure you also read about the safety hazards which can be associated with appliances like these.
Or if you’d like to try some simple ways to reduce draughts in your home, we’ve rounded up some DIY tricks.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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