Cold Weather Payment 2026/27: Who Gets £25 and When

The Cold Weather Payment scheme reopens on 1 November 2026. If you get certain benefits and your area has a week of freezing weather, you get £25. There is no form to fill in. The money is paid automatically.

That sounds simple, but people still miss out. Some do not know they qualify. Some have had a baby and not told the benefits office. And people in Scotland are on a different scheme altogether. Here is how it works this winter in each part of the UK.

What triggers a payment

A payment is triggered when the average temperature in your area is recorded or forecast at zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 days in a row.

It is based on the weather station linked to your postcode, not the temperature inside your home. Each separate 7-day spell earns another £25. So a hard winter can mean several payments, and a mild one can mean none.

Who qualifies in England and Wales

You may get Cold Weather Payments if you get one of these:

• Pension Credit - you will usually qualify if you get it.
• Universal Credit - you will usually qualify if you (and your partner, if you have one) are not employed or "gainfully self-employed", and one of you has a health condition or disability with limited capability for work, or you have a child under 5 living with you. You also qualify if your claim includes a disabled child amount, even if you work.
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - you will usually qualify if you are in the work-related activity group or the support group. If not, you may still qualify with a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a disabled child, or a child under 5 living with you.
• Support for Mortgage Interest - you may qualify if you also have a pensioner or disability premium, a disabled child, or a child under 5 living with you.

The GOV.UK eligibility page has the full conditions for each benefit.

How and when you get paid

You do not need to claim. After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. It goes into the same bank or building society account as your benefit.

How to check your postcode

GOV.UK has a Cold Weather Payment postcode checker for England and Wales. Enter your postcode to see whether a payment has been triggered in your area. It is worth checking after a cold spell, so you know whether to expect money.

What if a payment does not arrive?

If you think you should have been paid and were not:

• Universal Credit: sign in to your online account and add a note to your journal, or call the helpline (the number is on letters about your claim).
• Pension Credit or ESA: tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus.

Scotland: Winter Heating Payment instead

If you live in Scotland, you cannot get Cold Weather Payments. Instead, Social Security Scotland pays a yearly Winter Heating Payment, whatever the weather.

• The next payment is £62.00 (up from £59.75 last winter).
• The qualifying week for this winter is 2 to 8 November 2026.
• It is paid between December and the end of February.
• It is automatic if you get a qualifying benefit, and shows as "WHP" on your bank statement.
• It does not affect your other benefits.

The qualifying benefits are similar - including Pension Credit, and Universal Credit, income-related ESA, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Support for Mortgage Interest with extra conditions such as a child under 5 or a disability. Check the details on mygov.scot.

Do not confuse it with the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, which is Scotland's version of the Winter Fuel Payment for older people.

Northern Ireland: same £25, different checker

Northern Ireland runs its own Cold Weather Payment through nidirect. It works the same way: £25 for each 7-day period at or below zero degrees, from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027, paid automatically within 14 working days.

Use the Cold Weather Payment checker on nidirect, not the GOV.UK one. If you think a payment is missing, tell the Northern Ireland Pension Centre or your local Jobs and Benefits office.

nidirect also warns that it will not text or email you asking for bank details. Treat any message like that as a scam.

Three things to do now

1. Check you get a qualifying benefit and meet the extra conditions.
2. If you have had a baby or a child under 5 has moved in, report it now.
3. Bookmark the postcode checker for your nation and check it after any freezing week.

Sources: GOV.UK (Cold Weather Payment); mygov.scot (Winter Heating Payment); Scottish Government (Social Security Assistance in Scotland: up-rating for inflation 2026-27); nidirect (Cold Weather Payment).