Cold Weather Payment 2026/27: £25 a cold week, and the one change that can stop it

Illustration only. Published .

When the temperature drops and stays down, the heating goes on and stays on. For Jess, a mum in Durham on Universal Credit bringing up her two-year-old on her own, a freezing week in January is exactly when the meter starts to worry her.

Jess is an illustrative example, not a real person. But the scheme that could help her is real, and it reopens on 1 November 2026.

What the Cold Weather Payment is

The Cold Weather Payment is £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027. A period counts when the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below over 7 consecutive days.

There’s no form to fill in. If you’re eligible, it’s paid automatically, and it doesn’t affect your other benefits. Each payment should arrive within 14 working days of the cold spell, in the same bank or building society account your benefits go into.

It isn’t the same as the Winter Fuel Payment. That’s a yearly payment for people over State Pension age, whatever the weather. We explain how it works, and when HMRC takes it back, in our Winter Fuel Payment guide. The Cold Weather Payment only pays out when it’s actually freezing where you live.

Who gets it

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

  • Pension Credit, which usually qualifies on its own.
  • Universal Credit, if no one on the claim is employed or gainfully self-employed and you have limited capability for work or a child under 5 living with you. You also qualify if your claim includes a disabled child amount, whether or not you work.
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, if you’re in the work-related activity group or support group. Outside those groups, 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, with one of those same premiums or a disabled or under-5 child.

Jess isn’t working and her daughter is under 5, so on GOV.UK’s rules she should qualify.

The change you have to report

This is the part to check. If you get Universal Credit or income-related ESA and you have a baby, or a child under 5 comes to live with you, you need to report it. On Universal Credit that means reporting the change in your online account, or calling the helpline if you don’t have one. On ESA, you tell Jobcentre Plus. GOV.UK is clear that you won’t get Cold Weather Payments automatically if you don’t.

If Jess had her daughter after she first claimed and never added her, the payments wouldn’t come, however cold it got.

Going into hospital can also affect payments, so tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus if that happens. On Universal Credit, add a note to your journal.

How to check your area

From November, you’ll be able to put your postcode into the DWP checker on GOV.UK to see whether a payment is due where you live in England or Wales. In Northern Ireland, nidirect has its own checker.

If you think a payment should have come and it hasn’t, tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus. On Universal Credit, add a note to your journal.

nidirect also warns that you won’t be sent a text or email asking for your bank details. The money goes to the account you already use, so treat any message like that as a scam.

If you live in Scotland

Cold Weather Payments aren’t paid in Scotland. You might get the annual Winter Heating Payment instead, which is paid regardless of the weather. Check mygov.scot for the details.

Making £25 go further

£25 isn’t a fortune, but it arrives within a few weeks of a cold spell, when the heating has been working hardest. Putting it straight towards the energy bill, rather than letting it disappear into the current account, does more good. Our Budget Planner can help you see where winter costs fit, and our Emergency Fund tool shows how a small buffer builds up.

If you get Pension Credit, you may also qualify for the £150 Warm Home Discount. We explain who gets it automatically and who has to ask in our Warm Home Discount guide.

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Disclaimer

Jess is an illustrative example, not a real person. This article is general information and an illustration only. It is not financial or benefits advice, and Money Engine is not regulated by the FCA. Check your own position on GOV.UK, nidirect or with the office that pays your benefit.