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Are you eligible for the £25 Cold Weather Payment? How to check
Millions of people could be eligible for Cold Weather Payments during the winter. We explain who qualifies and how to check if a payment is due
Some households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland could get £25 during periods of very cold weather to help with the cost of keeping their homes warm. This is known as the Cold Weather Payment.
The scheme is designed to help low-income and vulnerable households pay for their energy bills when temperatures fall below freezing in their local area Almost 1.5 million households received the payments in the winter of 2025/26, according to government estimates.
Eligible households can get the Cold Weather Payment when the average temperature in their postcode is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven days in a row. The scheme runs each year from 1 November to 31 March.
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As the payment is triggered for individual seven-day periods, you may receive multiple payments if your local area experiences several weeks of freezing temperatures during the winter.
Cold Weather Payments are intended to help some households with the cost of heating when there is extremely cold weather.
The government scheme is available in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Households in Scotland are not eligible for the Cold Weather Payment but may be eligible for a similar scheme known as the Winter Heating Payment.
Over 4 million households are eligible for the payment, though not everyone will receive it every year.
To qualify for the Cold Weather Payment, you must receive one of these benefits:
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit
Support for Mortgage Interest
To get the payment when receiving Universal Credit, you and your partner must not be employed, and you must either have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work, or have a child under five living with you. If you have a disabled child you will receive the payment regardless of if you or your partner are employed, self-employed, or not working.
If you receive income-related ESA and are in a work-related activity or support group you will usually get the payment. If you aren’t in a group you may still get it if you have a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a child who is disabled, or a child under five living with you.
Those who receive support for mortgage interest will usually get the payment if you’re also treated as getting a qualifying benefit where one of the following applies: a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, you have a child who is disabled, or you have a child under five living with you
Those who get Pension Credit usually qualify for the payment.
How to check if a Cold Weather Payment is due
If you live in England or Wales, you can check if your local area is eligible for the Cold Weather Payment through the government’s online postcode checker.
If you live in Northern Ireland, check on NIDirect to see if your postcode is due to receive the £25 payment.
How do I claim a Cold Weather Payment?
If there is a Cold Weather Payment trigger in your local area, you’ll get the payment within 14 working days directly into the bank or building society account where you receive your benefit payments. The payments are automatic.
“I think I should have got a Cold Weather Payment, but I haven't received anything”
If payments have been triggered in your area and you believe you meet the eligibility criteria but haven’t received a payment yet, contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus.
“I don't qualify for Cold Weather Payments. What other energy bills help is available?”
If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills, check that you are claiming all the benefits you’re entitled to.
Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Daniel is a financial journalist at MoneyWeek, writing about personal finance, economics, property, politics, and investing.
He covers savings, political news and enjoys translating economic data into simple English, and explaining what it means for your wallet.
Daniel joined MoneyWeek in January 2025 and previously worked at The Economist in their Audience team. He read history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and edited Cambridge's student newspaper, Varsity.
In his free time, he likes reading, walking around Hampstead Heath, and cooking overambitious meals.
