Winter Heating Payment starts

Nearly 475,000 people on low incomes are receiving money to help heat their homes through Winter Heating Payment. Payments started at the end of November and will continue throughout the winter.  

Winter Heating Payment is a reliable, automatic annual payment now worth £59.75. It is available to people on certain benefits who may need extra help heating their homes during the winter months.   

Eligible people in Scotland receive the payment instead of the DWP’s Cold Weather Payment. It is a guaranteed payment that everyone receives, no matter what the weather. Cold Weather Payment is only paid if the average temperature reaches, or is forecast to reach, freezing or below for a full week. 

Winter Heating Payment is paid in batches. Payments are currently being processed, and most people will receive their payment by the end of December 2025. Payments will continue to be made until the end of February 2026.  

It is paid automatically to people who were getting any of these benefits during the qualifying week (3 - 9 November 2025): 

• Universal Credit 

• Pension Credit 

• Income Support 

• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance 

• Support for Mortgage Interest 

Additional requirements apply for some of these benefits. For example, for those qualifying through Income Support they must have a child under 5, a disability premium or a pensioner premium. 

People who haven’t received a Winter Heating Payment by the end of February 2026, but think that they may be eligible, should fill out a Winter Heating Payment request form or call us free on 0800 182 2222. 

A range of stakeholder resources are available to help spread the word about Winter Heating Payment.