Thousands of Brits are set to receive an extra benefit in their bank accounts within the next few days. Cold weather payments, which are automatically issued to eligible households when local weather stations record an average temperature of zero degrees celsius or below for seven consecutive days, are on their way.
The automatic £25 payments should land in accounts within 14 days of the postcode being triggered. The scheme kicked off on November 1, but due to relatively mild winter temperatures so far, only a few postcodes were triggered on November 17 and 18.
However, on January 2, another 18 postcodes were triggered. The latest postcodes include the Scottish village of Eskdalemuir and the English towns Resdale and Shap.
The full list of recently triggered postcodes include: DG14, TD9, CA9, NE19, NE47, NE48, NE49, CA10, CA11, CA12, CA16, CA17, LA8, LA9, LA10, LA21, LA22 and LA23. Most of these postcodes were also triggered during the November cold snap.
Eligible households can expect the £25 to land in their accounts in the coming days but if they believe they are due the automatic payment and haven’t received it they can contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus that deals with their usual benefit payments.
If you are eligible for the seasonal top-up through Pension Credit, the DWP advises signing into your online account and adding a note to your journal. If you don’t have an online account you can call the Universal Credit helpline noted on letters about your claim.
The cold weather payment scheme remains open until the end of March. To qualify for the winter top-up, you must be claiming certain elements of qualifying benefits, including: Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, and Support for Mortgage Interest.
If you have a baby or a child under five living with you, you could also be eligible for the payment if you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. However, you won’t receive the payment automatically unless you inform the Jobcentre Plus.
More details about the exact qualifying criteria, and how to check if your postcode has been triggered, can be found on the gov.uk website.
