Check if you are eligible for cold winter payments

A total of 10,000 people in England are eligible for £50 Cold Weather Payments this winter so far - you can check out your postcode with our interactive map. As temperatures dip below freezing across the country, households will be looking out for updates on the payments by the DWP which help people with their heating bills during cold snaps.

During the winter of 2024/25 the payments have been made in 18 postcode areas with the most recent payments triggered on January 2. The DWP authorises a Cold Weather Payment when the average temperature is forecast to stay below zero for seven consecutive days in a particular area. The payments are made to people in receipt of certain benefits, depending on eligibility.

You can check payments for your postcode area on our interactive map here:

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So far this winter, an estimated 10,000 people have been eligible for the payments. They are all households living within twelve postcode areas in Cumbria, four in Northumberland, and two postcodes areas in the Scottish Borders which cross into England.

These areas have now had two separate Cold Weather Payments so far this winter, meaning they will receive a total of £50 towards the extra cost of heating their homes. The first £25 payments were triggered during the spell of cold weather in November and the second £25 payment was triggered last Thursday (2nd January).

The full list of payments so far this winter is here:

£25 payments triggered on 17 November 2024 and 2 January 2025:

• CA10Cliburn, Cumbria

• CA11Catterlen, Cumbria

• CA12Keswick, Cumbria

• CA16Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria

• CA17Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

• LA8 Kendal, Cumbria

• LA9 Kendal, Cumbria

• LA10Sedbergh, Cumbria

• LA21Coniston, Cumbria

• LA22Lakes, Cumbria

• LA23Windermere, Cumbria

• TD9 Scottish Borders (parts in England)

• DG14Dumfries border (parts in England)

• £25 payments triggered on 18 November 2024 and 2 January 2025:

• CA9 Leadgate, Cumbria

• NE19Elsdon, Northumberland

• NE47Allendale, Northumberland

• NE48Bellingham, Northumberland

• NE49Haltwhistle, Northumberland

A further eight postcode areas in Northern Ireland have also received a single £25 Cold Weather Payment under a similar separate scheme which is operated by the Northern Ireland Executive, and not the DWP. The payments there were triggered on January 4 and covered these postcode areas:

• BT24Ballynahinch

• BT25Dromore

• BT26Hillsborough

• BT30Downpatrick

• BT31Castlewellan

• BT32Banbridge

• BT33Newcastle, Co Down

• BT34Newry, South Down

Despite temperatures dipping below freezing across the country in recent days, no new Cold Weather Payments have been triggered this week. The DWP scheme runs every winter until March 31.

Cold Weather Payments are made to people in England and Wales who receive a range of benefits. A separate scheme is operated in Northern Ireland along similar lines, but in Scotland, support for heating bills is paid every winter and not linked to specific spells of cold weather.

There are an estimated 3.9 million people eligible for Cold Weather Payments under the DWP scheme, and of these, 1.2 million are in receipt of Pensions Credit.

Last year, 364,000 payments were made across England and Wales at a total cost of £9.1 million. In some areas of Cumbria, the Cold Weather Payments were triggered three times during separate spells of freezing weather last winter, meaning eligible recipients were paid £75 in total.

The DWP says those claiming the following benefits may be eligible for the Cold Weather Payment; Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit, Support for Mortgage Interest.

Not all those receiving these benefits will automatically receive a Cold Weather Payment. There are a number of factors that will determine whether a payment will be made, and full details of those eligible are here: https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment/eligibility