Millions of people in England and Wales have been eligible for cold winter payments during this season’s cold snap, new Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics have shown.
Bitter winds and storms have led to four million receiving the £25 payment to cover the extra costs of heating homes during adverse weather.
The payment is automatically made to eligible recipients when the average temperature in their area is recorded as – or is forecast to be – 0C or below over seven consecutive days.
People should then receive the payment within 14 days. You can check if you are due a cold weather payment by searching your postcode here.
Here’s what you need to know about the cold weather payment, as well as how to protect yourself from potential scammers.
What is the cold weather payment?
Cold weather payments are given to people claiming benefits like universal credit and pension credit to help them cope with the additional costs of heating a home in an area where the temperature is zero degrees or lower for seven consecutive days.
The eligible linked benefits are:
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Income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)
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Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
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Support for mortgage interest (SMI)
Households get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026.
Unsure if you’ve been eligible for a cold weather payment this winter? You can check here.
How is the cold weather payment paid?
Cold weather payments are paid automatically into bank accounts by the DWP.
The payment reference should contain your national insurance number followed by “DWP CWP” in England and Wales or “SSA CWP” in Northern Ireland. Living in Scotland? Scots are not eligible for the cold weather payment.
Universal credit recipients can also check if the cold weather payment has been logged in their journal.
Warnings for snow, ice, wind, and rain came into place across the UK over Storm Goretti, with another cold snap coming in the next few days.
(Danny Lawson – PA Images via Getty Images)
How do I protect myself from cold weather payment scams?
It’s understandable that an unexpected government payment arriving in your bank account may raise some questions.
–Scammers use government schemes – such as cold weather payments and the winter fuel payment – to target vulnerable people.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that all cold weather payments are made automatically, and do not require anyone to apply.
You may get calls, emails or messages from someone pretending to be from a government service. If you get a message asking for your personal details (for example, bank details or passwords), this could be a scam. Report anything you think is suspicious here.
“Payments will be made automatically into bank accounts; you do not need to apply,” the DWP told Yahoo News. “If you receive a text or message about cold weather payments, do not engage with it.”