Cold weather payments worth £25 have been triggered for residents in hundreds of postcode areas across England and Wales. In addition, over 300 of those areas are now due a second £25 payment after the recent cold snap dragged on – meaning those eligible will get £50 in total. The payments are designed to help households pay for energy bills when temperatures plummet.
The exact eligibility criteria varies depending on your circumstances – see the full list of criteria for each benefit on GOV.UK
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 seven consecutive days. You get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2022 and 31 March 2023.
You can check if payments have been triggered in your area using the Government’s postcode checker winter fuel payments tool. The tool will also tell you the number of payments triggered. There has been one in Sheffield so far.
If you’re eligible to get a cold weather payment, you don’t need to apply – you’ll be paid it automatically within 14 working days into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.
You can contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus if you think you should have received a cold weather payment but have not. If you’re getting universal credit, you can do this by signing into your account and adding a note to your online journal, or by calling the universal credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
You can find out more at Money Saving Expert.
