Plummeting temperatures have prompted the first cold weather payments of the winter in England and Wales as the relentless Arctic blast freezes the UK.
If the mercury drops to 0°C or below for seven days in a row in a particular postcode, people living there could qualify for a payment of £25 to help with their heating costs.
Some 673,000 eligible people will get the government payment in areas of the country that met the threshold in the week ending January 2 – totalling £16.8 million.
This is separate to the Winter Fuel Payment, a benefit for pensioners to pay their heating bills, and is in addition to any Cost of Living payments or other government benefits.
Low-income households in England and Wales are eligible for Cold Weather Payments between November and March if the weather is particularly wintry.
So far, cold weather payments have been triggered on five separate days: December 30, January 1, January 2, January 3 and January 6.
A total of 17 out of the Met Office’s 71 weather stations triggered the payment during the week ending January 2.
A station at Bingley near Bradford in West Yorkshire triggered 105,000 payments, while one in Rothamsted at Harpenden in Hertfordshire created 73,000 payments.
With several parts of the UK facing yellow and amber warnings for snow and ice for the rest of this week, it is possible the cold snap could last long enough to trigger even more payments.
To check if your area will be included and see whether you are entitled to the money, you can visit the Department for Work and Pensions website.
When are cold-weather payments made?
Cold Weather Payments are made between November 1 and March 31 to people who receive a range of benefits across England and Wales.
The scheme links postcode districts to Met Office weather stations which report temperatures daily.
Each postcode district is assigned to a weather station with the most similar climate in terms of 1981 to 2010 average winter temperature.
Who is eligible for the Cold Weather Payment?
The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (CWP) scheme provides help to individuals on benefits who are the most vulnerable to the cold. This includes:
- Income Support
- Older people in receipt of Pension Credit
- Homeowner receiving Support for Mortgage Interest: who has a severe/enhanced disability premium; has a pensioner premium; has a child who is disabled; has a child under 5 living with you or who gets Child Tax Credit that includes disability/serve disability
- Disabled adults, families with a disabled child or families with a child under 5, who are in receipt of Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
The payments are devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland and made separately.
How to check the latest Cold Weather Payment Postcodes
The latest Cold Weather Payment postcodes are available via the Gov.uk postcode checker.
How much is the Cold Weather Payment?
Those eligible will receive £25 for each seven-day period over the winter months between November 1 and March 31.
If you are eligible, the money will be paid directly into your bank account automatically.
The DWP has confirmed that households do not need to apply or take any action to ensure they get the money.
An estimated 5.5million payments were made to around 3.7million people in the 2022 to 2023 winter season.
Approximately £137,600,000 was paid out in the scheme.
Some 4.4 million people in England and Wales are eligible for cold weather payments this winter, including 1.2 million recipients of pension credit.
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