You can claim Cold Weather Payments if you claim certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest, you do not need to apply. If you’re eligible to get a Cold Weather Payment, you’ll be paid automatically.
You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days.
Rates (as of Feb 2021)
You’ll get £25 for every 7 days 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 do not affect your other benefits.
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
- Support for Mortgage Interest
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
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get income-related ESA and are in a work-related activity group or support group. If you’re not in either group, you might also get Cold Weather Payments if you have any of the following:
- 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 and you’re not employed or self-employed. One of the following must also apply:
- you have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work (with or without work-related activity)
- you have a child under 5 living with you
www.gov.uk/health-conditions-disability-universal-credit
You’ll also be eligible if you have a disabled child amount in your claim, whether you’re employed or not.
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, if have a baby or a child under 5, has come to live with you
If you don’t receive your Cold Weather Payment
Inform your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus office if you believe you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but haven’t yet.
If you’re getting Universal Credit, sign in to your account and add a note to your journal.
If you do not have an online account, ring the Universal Credit helpline instead. The phone number is on the letters about your Universal Credit claim.
Hospital stays
You must tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus office if you go into hospital because it could affect your payment. If you’re receiving Universal Credit, sign in to your account and add a note to your journal or contact them by telephone.
Further information
www.coldweatherpayments.dwp.gov.uk
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