Cold weather payments: Full list of postcodes that could see a £25 charge added to your bill when temperatures drop
- Homes in the north of England and the Scottish borders will soon receive the money
Thousands of households will receive £25 government cold weather payments to help with energy bills during the current cold spell.
Recent winter weather has left parts of the country blanketed in snow, with temperatures dropping to -11.2 degrees Celsius in some parts of Britain.
In response, the government has started sending out £25 cold weather payments.
Cold Weather Payment is a benefit paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to households in areas where temperatures are at or below zero degrees Celsius for seven days.
About 10,000 homes are expected to receive this first wave of cold weather payments before 2024.
To qualify, households in affected areas must claim benefits including income support, pension credit, means-tested jobseeker’s allowance, means-tested employment and support allowance, universal credit and mortgage interest support.
Snow joke: Many parts of the country are experiencing colder temperatures this week
However, some caveats apply. For example, households on Universal Credit may not receive the payment if they are working.
The scheme comes into effect from November 1, 2024 and runs until March 31, 2025.
The payment is currently being made to eligible homes in 18 zip code areas:
- CA9 Leadgate (Cumbria)
- CA10 Cliburn (Cumbria)
- CA11 Catterlen (Cumbria)
- CA12 Keswick (Cumbria)
- CA16 Appleby-in-Westmorland (Cumbria)
- CA17 Kirkby Stephen (Cumbria)
- DG14 Dumfries border (English houses)
- LA8 Kendal (Cumbria)
- LA9 Kendal (Cumbria)
- LA10 Sedbergh (Cumbria)
- LA21 Coniston (Cumbria)
- LA22 Lakes (Cumbria)
- LA23 Windermere (Cumbria)
- NE19 Elsdon (Northumberland)
- NE47 Allendale (Northumberland)
- NE48 Bellingham (Northumberland)
- NE49 Haltwhistle (Northumberland)
- TD9 Scottish Borders (English houses)
In postcodes straddling the English and Scottish borders, only English homes will receive a cold weather payment.
This is because Scotland does not pay this benefit.
Instead, Scotland has a one-off benefit called the Winter Heating Payment, which is paid to households based on eligible benefits no matter how cold it gets.
Should I claim a cold weather payment?
Cold weather payments should be paid directly into bank accounts by the DWP, without households having to make a claim.
After any period of very cold weather in a region, eligible households should receive the £25 payment within 14 working days.
The benefit is tax-free and does not affect other benefits.
The average energy bill is now £1,717 per year and is expected to rise to £1,736 from 1 January 2025.
