HUNDREDS of thousands on benefits are eligible for Cold Weather Payments – but temperatures have to drop first.
Cold Weather Payments are issued between November and March each winter, with each one worth £25.
The extra cash is designed to help cover the extra costs associated with cold weather like the need to put your heating on.
That means they are only issued when temperatures drop to a certain temperature – zero degrees Celsius or below for seven consecutive days.
Payments are issued automatically so you don’t have to do anything if you are eligible.
But, you can use checker tools on the government’s website to find out if the weather in your area means you are in line for one.
You can find these via www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment.
It’s worth noting, £25 payments are made for each seven day period of weather where temperatures are zero degrees Celsius or below.
That means if the weather stays cold for long enough you could get a £50 or even a £75 payment.
Payments are made within 14 working days and into the same bank account as the one used to pay your qualifying benefit.
Payments usually show in your bank statement as your National Insurance number followed by “DWP CWP” for those in England and Wales.
If you live in Northern Ireland it will appear as “SSA CWP”.
You’re eligible for a Cold Weather Payment if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and are in receipt of one of the following benefits and meet certain criteria:
Depending on your specific circumstances, you may also need to meet one or more of the following additional criteria:
You can find out more about eligibility on the government’s website.
Households in Scotland aren’t eligible for Cold Weather Payments but get a Winter Heating Payment instead.
You can find out more via www.mygov.scot/winter-heating-payment.
You don’t need to apply for the Cold Weather Payment as it’s paid automatically if you’re eligible.
If you don’t receive a payment and believe you’re eligible then you can tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus office, or call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
If you’re getting Universal Credit, you can also sign in to your account and add a note to your journal.
If you go into hospital, this could affect your claim so make sure you tell someone using the contact details above.
You might be eligible for the Household Support Fund, which has been extended until April next year.
Cash payments, energy and food vouchers and other help are distributed by local councils who set their own eligibility criteria.
That means whether you qualify for help depends on where you live although mostly help is given to low-income households or those on benefits.
Speak to your local council and check if you qualify for any support.
It’s worth checking if you qualify for benefits as well, with billions of pounds worth going unclaimed, according to Policy in Practice.
There are three main free benefits calculators you can use to find out what you might be eligible for:
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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