Cold Weather Payment: who gets £25 in a freezing spell
Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.
A Cold Weather Payment is £25 for each seven-day spell of freezing weather where you live, paid automatically to people on Pension Credit and some other benefits in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland pays a fixed Winter Heating Payment instead.
How Cold Weather Payments work
The scheme runs every winter. At the time of writing (November 2026), this season's scheme runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027.
A payment is triggered when the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven days in a row. Each time that happens you get £25. If there are three separate cold spells, you get three payments.
"Your area" is decided by your postcode, which is linked to a particular weather station. This means one town can trigger a payment while a neighbouring one does not.
Who qualifies
You do not qualify on age alone. You need to be getting one of the qualifying benefits. For most readers of this site the important one is:
- Pension Credit – GOV.UK says you will usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Pension Credit.
Some people of working age also qualify, including:
- people on income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) in certain groups or with certain premiums
- people on Universal Credit who are not working and have a health condition or disability that limits their ability to work, or a child under 5
- some people getting Support for Mortgage Interest
The exact conditions are on the Cold Weather Payment eligibility page on GOV.UK.
How to claim
You do not need to apply. If you are eligible, you are paid automatically each time your area triggers a payment.
You can check whether your postcode has triggered a payment using the checker on the Cold Weather Payment page on GOV.UK. If your area has triggered and you believe you qualify but nothing has arrived, contact the office that pays your benefit (for Pension Credit, the Pension Service).
If you live in Scotland
Cold Weather Payments are not made in Scotland. Instead, Social Security Scotland pays a Winter Heating Payment once a year to people on certain low-income benefits. It does not depend on how cold it gets.
At the time of writing (November 2026), mygov.scot gives the current payment as £62.00. It is paid automatically, from December and through the winter, and you do not need to apply. Check who qualifies on the Winter Heating Payment page on mygov.scot.
Do not confuse this with the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, which is Scotland's version of the Winter Fuel Payment. We explain that one in our Winter Fuel Payment guide.
Three winter payments compared
| Help | What it is | Main test |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Fuel Payment | £100 to £300 once a winter | Your date of birth (recovered if income is over £35,000) |
| Warm Home Discount | £150 off your electricity bill | Getting Pension Credit or certain other benefits |
| Cold Weather Payment | £25 per seven-day freezing spell | Getting Pension Credit or certain other benefits, plus the weather |
You can receive all three in the same winter. Getting one does not reduce the others.
Common reasons people miss out
- Not being on a qualifying benefit. The State Pension alone does not count. Pension Credit does.
- The weather was cold, but not cold enough for long enough. The trigger is an average of zero or below across seven days in a row, measured at your area's weather station.
- A change of circumstances not reported. For example, GOV.UK asks people on some benefits to report a baby being born or a child under 5 coming to live with them.
Staying warm in a cold snap
A £25 payment helps, but it will not cover a week of heating. Our guides to keeping warm for less and heated throws and electric blankets look at low-cost ways to keep yourself, rather than the whole house, warm. If you rely on electricity for medical equipment or would struggle in a power cut, join the free Priority Services Register.
Common questions
Is there a limit on how many payments I can get?
You get £25 for each separate seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March, so several payments in one winter are possible.
Do Cold Weather Payments affect my other benefits?
No. They are paid on top of your other benefits, and you can also get the Winter Fuel Payment and Warm Home Discount.
I get the State Pension. Why did I not get a payment?
The State Pension is not a qualifying benefit for Cold Weather Payments. If your income is low, check whether you could get Pension Credit, which is.
How will I know if a payment is due?
Use the postcode checker on GOV.UK during the winter. It shows whether your area has triggered a payment.