Cold Weather Payments start being issued from the beginning of November (Image: GETTY)
Certain households eligible for Cold Weather Payments might find a silver lining amidst the gloomy weather.
These £25 payments are automatically issued to qualifying households for every seven consecutive days where the average temperature in their postcode drops to zero degrees celsius or below.
It’s one of the seasonal benefits provided by the to assist with escalating energy costs during the colder months, alongside Winter Fuel Payments and the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
The payment should land in your bank account within 14 working days of the cold spell, paid into the same account where you receive your benefit payments.
You can also use the Government’s postcode checker to see if your area has experienced severe enough weather to qualify.
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While the payment is supposed to be automatic, some may find they haven’t been paid despite being eligible.
In such cases, you can contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus that handles your benefits or add a note to your Universal Credit journal.
Alternatively, you can ring the Universal Credit helpline, the number for which can be found on letters about your claim.
To be eligible for automatic payments, you must be claiming Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, or Support for Interest.
Additionally, if you’ve recently welcomed a new baby or a child under five into your home and are receiving certain benefits, you could qualify, but you’ll need to inform the Jobcentre.
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Cold Weather Payments, Warm Home Discounts, and other static aids like Christmas Bonuses have been criticised for their “outdated” amounts.
Speaking to Radio 4, Citizen’s Advice chief executive Dame Claire Moriarty remarked: “It was set at a time when energy prices were so much lower than they are at the moment.”
The current system, established in 1986 at £5 per person per week and raised to £8.50 a week in 1995, saw an increase to £25 a week in 2008—a hike intended only for that winter season, yet it has not changed since.