Cold Weather Payment

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Eligibility

You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:

  • Pension Credit
  • Income Support
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Universal Credit
  • Support for Mortgage Interest

If you live in Scotland, you cannot get Cold Weather Payments. You might get an annual Winter Heating Payment instead.

Pension Credit

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Pension Credit.

Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and have any of the following:

  • a disability or pensioner premium
  • a child who is disabled
  • Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
  • a child under 5 living with you

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get income-related ESA and are in a work-related activity group or support group. If you’re not in either group, you might also get Cold Weather Payments if you have any of the following:

  • a severe or enhanced disability premium
  • a pensioner premium
  • a child who is disabled
  • Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
  • a child under 5 living with you

Universal Credit

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Universal Credit and:

  • you are not employed or ‘gainfully self-employed’
  • your partner is not employed or ‘gainfully self-employed’ (if you have a partner)

You’re likely to be considered ‘gainfully self-employed’ if being self-employed is your main job, you work regularly and expect to make a profit.

One of the following must also apply:

You’ll also be eligible if you have a disabled child amount in your claim. It does not matter whether you or your partner are employed, self-employed or not working.

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and you’re treated as getting a qualifying benefit where one of the following applies:

  • a severe or enhanced disability premium
  • a pensioner premium
  • you have a child who is disabled
  • you get Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
  • you have a child under 5 living with you

You’re usually treated as getting a qualifying benefit if you apply for it but do not receive it because your income is too high.

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