Cold Weather Payments: Full list of postcodes that could get £25 towards bills as temperatures drop

  • Homes in the North of England and the Scottish Borders will get the money soon 

By SAM BARKER

Updated:

Thousands of households will get £25 Government Cold Weather Payments to help with energy bills during the current cold snap.

Recent wintry weather has seen snow blanket parts of the country, with temperatures dropping as low as -11.2C in some parts of the UK.

In response, the Government has begun 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 the temperature is at or below zero degrees celsius for seven days straight.

Around 10,000 homes are set to get this first 2024 batch of Cold Weather Payments.

To be eligible, households in affected areas will need to be claiming benefits including Income Support, Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Support for Mortgage Interest.

Snow joke: Many parts of the country are grappling with colder temperatures this week

Snow joke: Many parts of the country are grappling with colder temperatures this week

However, some caveats apply. For example, households on Universal Credit may not get the payment if they are in employment. 

The scheme becomes active from 1 November 2024 and runs until 31 March 2025.

The payment is currently being made to eligible homes in 18 postcode 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 homes) 
  • 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 homes)

In postcodes which straddle the English and Scottish borders, only the English homes will get Cold Weather Payments.

This is because Scotland does not pay this benefit.

Instead, Scotland has a one-off benefit called Winter Heating Payment, which is paid to households on qualifying benefits regardless of how cold it gets.

Do I need to claim Cold Weather Payment? 

Cold Weather Payments should be paid out directly by the DWP into bank accounts, without households needing to claim.

After each period of very cold weather in a region, eligible households should get the £25 payment within 14 working days. 

The payment is tax-free and does not affect any other benefits.

The average energy bill is now £1,717 a year and predicted to rise to £1,736 from 1 January 2025. 

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