The Cold Weather Payment Scheme has been replaced in Scotland, meaning eligible people who live in Scotland no longer qualify for the £25 payments for each seven-day period of “very cold” weather.
The scheme was closed in Scotland, and replaced with the Winter Heating Payment.
The Winter Heating Payment scheme offers help to people on low-income benefits who may have extra heating needs, and Social Security Scotland pays it to eligible people, rather than the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The 2022-23 winter payments are expected to be made from February 2023.
The Winter Heating Payment scheme offers help to people on low-income benefits who may have extra heating needs in Scotland
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The Winter Heating Payment has the same eligibility requirements as the Cold Weather Payment scheme.
However, unlike the Cold Weather Payment, the Winter Heating Payment doesn’t depend on how cold the temperature gets.
It means eligible people will get a guaranteed £50 payment each winter, paid automatically.
In comparison, qualifying people would need to live within a postcode where there was a Cold Weather Payment trigger to get a £25 payment.
Via the Cold Weather Payment, eligible people get £25 if the average temperature in their local area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven days in a row.
This scheme runs from November 1 to March 31, and payments are made by the DWP.
After each trigger in their local area, the eligible person should be automatically paid the £25 sum, and they should get this within 14 working days.
The DWP has a Cold Weather Payment postcode checker which shows if there has been a trigger in one's local area.
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The Cold Weather Payment Scheme runs from November 1 to March 31
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This service runs online on the Gov.UK website each year.
If a person thinks they should have got a Cold Weather Payment but haven't got it, they should tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus.
Universal Credit recipients need to sign in to their account and add a note to their journal.
Those who don't have an online account are directed to ring the Universal Credit helpline instead.