The Cold Weather Payment is a government scheme run by the Department for Work and Pensions, or DWP, to provide financial support to people on certain benefits during periods of very low temperatures.
It is not a fixed annual payment like the Winter Fuel Payment, but is triggered only when the weather in your local area meets specific criteria.
The payment is £25 for each qualifying cold period, not a total of £140 as mentioned. Multiple payments can be made throughout the season.
The scheme runs in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
If you live in Scotland, you receive a separate, fixed annual payment called the Winter Heating Payment, regardless of the temperature.
What is the payment amount and when does the scheme run?
The Cold Weather Payment is a specific amount paid for each cold spell that meets the DWP’s criteria.
- Payment Amount: You receive £25 for each seven-day period of qualifying cold weather.
- Duration of Scheme: The scheme runs from 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026.
- Trigger: A payment is triggered if the average temperature in your postcode area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven days in a row.
The DWP monitors the temperature at 94 weather stations across the country, which are linked to specific postcodes.
When exactly will I get my money?
The exact payment date depends on when a qualifying cold spell ends in your local area.
Payments are not made on a fixed date.
- Payment Window: You should receive a payment within 14 working days after the seven-day cold period in your area ends.
- Automatic Payment: The payment is made automatically into the same bank or building society account where you receive your qualifying benefit. You do not need to apply for it.
- Multiple Payments: Since the payment is based on temperature triggers, you may receive multiple £25 payments throughout the winter if there are several periods of severe cold weather.
Who is eligible for the Cold Weather Payment?
To be eligible for the payment, you must be receiving one of the qualifying benefits during the seven-day cold period.
Qualifying Benefits:
- Pension Credit (You will usually get the payment if you receive this).
- Income Support (You must usually also have a disabled child, a child under five, or a disability or pensioner premium).
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or JSA (You must usually also have a disabled child, a child under five, or a disability or pensioner premium).
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or ESA (You must usually be in the support or work-related activity group, or have a severe disability or pensioner premium, or a child under five).
- Universal Credit (Specific conditions apply, including not being employed or self-employed, and having a health condition that limits your work capacity, or having a child under five).
- Support for Mortgage Interest, or SMI (Specific benefit conditions also apply).
If you are a recipient of Universal Credit, you are generally eligible if you are not employed or gainfully self-employed and you or your partner has limited capability for work, or you have a child under five living with you.
Do I need to claim the Cold Weather Payment?
No, the Cold Weather Payment is automatic.
If you are eligible and live in an area where the temperature trigger is met, the payment should be processed without you having to take any action.
- New Circumstances: The DWP encourages you to notify the relevant benefits office immediately if you have a new baby, or if a child under the age of five comes to live with you this winter. This is because these changes may automatically make you eligible for the payment.
- Postcode Checker: From November 2025, you can use the official government postcode checker tool online to see if the payment has been triggered in your local area.
What should I do if I think I am due a payment but have not received it?
If the DWP postcode checker confirms that a payment was triggered in your area and you believe you are eligible but have not received the money within 14 working days, you should contact the DWP.
- Contact DWP: You should contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus to inform them of the missing payment.
- Universal Credit: If you receive Universal Credit, you can add a note to your online journal to ask your Work Coach to investigate the missing payment.
