How much is the Cold Weather Payment in 2026/27?

It is £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather in your area between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027. There is no cap on the number of payments: in a severe winter an area can trigger several separate payments, and in a mild winter it may trigger none at all. The amount has been £25 per period since 2008/09.

How does the Cold Weather Payment temperature trigger work?

A payment is triggered when the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below across seven consecutive days. It is the average across the whole seven days, not a single cold night, which is why a frosty week does not always trigger a payment. Each postcode is linked to one of around 90 Met Office weather stations, and it is that station’s readings that decide whether your area qualifies, not the temperature outside your own front door.

Do I need to claim the Cold Weather Payment?

No. If you are eligible you are paid automatically, straight into the account where your benefit is paid. There is no application form and no need to contact DWP when a cold spell happens. The one thing worth doing is telling the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus if you have a baby or a child under 5 moves in with you, because DWP will not know about a change that affects your eligibility unless you tell them.

How do I check if my postcode qualifies for a Cold Weather Payment?

GOV.UK runs a Cold Weather Payment postcode checker that tells you whether a payment has been triggered in your area. It goes live at the start of the scheme on 1 November and is updated through the winter as cold spells are recorded. Northern Ireland has its own checker on nidirect. There is no checker for Scotland because Scotland does not use the Cold Weather Payment scheme at all.

When will I get the Cold Weather Payment?

Within 14 working days of the qualifying cold spell ending. It is paid into the same account as your benefit and appears on your statement with your National Insurance number followed by a reference such as "DWP CWP". If a payment has been triggered for your postcode and nothing arrives within 14 working days, contact the office that pays your benefit - the Pension Service if you are on Pension Credit.

Does the Cold Weather Payment affect my other benefits?

No. It is tax-free, it does not count as income for any means-tested benefit, and it does not affect Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. It also does not count towards the benefit cap. You can receive it alongside the Winter Fuel Payment and the Warm Home Discount in the same winter.

What do people in Scotland get instead?

Scotland replaced the Cold Weather Payment with the Winter Heating Payment, a guaranteed annual payment made regardless of the weather. It is £62.00 for winter 2026/27, up from £59.75 the previous winter, and is paid automatically by Social Security Scotland to people on qualifying low-income benefits. Families caring for a child with the highest level of disability support get the separate Child Winter Heating Payment, worth £255.80. Pensioners in Scotland get the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment rather than the Winter Fuel Payment.

Is the Cold Weather Payment the same as the Winter Fuel Payment?

No, they are completely separate and you can get both. The Winter Fuel Payment is a single annual payment of £100 to £300 based on your age, paid in November or December whatever the weather. The Cold Weather Payment is £25 per freezing week, paid only when the weather actually triggers it, and only to people on qualifying means-tested benefits. Many people who get the Winter Fuel Payment get no Cold Weather Payment at all because they are not on a qualifying benefit.

Why did my neighbour get a Cold Weather Payment and I did not?

Almost always because of the benefit you are on rather than where you live, since neighbouring postcodes usually share a weather station. The most common reason is that they claim Pension Credit and you do not. DWP estimates that a large minority of eligible pensioner households never claim Pension Credit, and because it is the gateway to Cold Weather Payments, the free TV licence at 75 and the Warm Home Discount, not claiming it can cost several thousand pounds a year.

How many Cold Weather Payments can I get in one winter?

There is no limit. Each separate seven-day qualifying period triggers its own £25 payment, so a prolonged cold winter in a northern or upland postcode can produce several payments, while a mild winter in the south may produce none. Payments are made per household rather than per person, so a couple on a joint claim receives one £25 payment per qualifying period, not two.

Cold Weather Payment 2026/27: £25 per cold spell

How the temperature trigger works

The Cold Weather Payment is the only part of the winter support system that depends on the actual weather. It is triggered when the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below across seven consecutive days.

Two details in that sentence catch people out. The first is average: a run of hard frosts at night with mild afternoons often fails to trigger a payment, because the seven-day average across the whole period stays above freezing. The second is your area. Every postcode in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is mapped to one of around 90 Met Office weather stations, and it is that station's data that decides whether a payment is made. Your own thermometer has nothing to do with it, which is why two households a few miles apart can get different outcomes if they sit on either side of a station boundary.

Forecast counts as well as recorded

A payment can be triggered by a forecast, not only by temperatures already recorded. That means DWP can start paying before a cold spell has finished. It also means a payment is not reversed if the forecast turns out to have been pessimistic and the weather warms up.

Who qualifies

The weather is only half the test. You also have to be receiving one of a specific list of means-tested benefits during the qualifying period. Being over State Pension age is not enough on its own - that is the Winter Fuel Payment, which is a different scheme.

Benefit	Extra conditions
Pension Credit	No extra conditions. If you get Pension Credit you will usually get Cold Weather Payments.
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance	Automatic if you are in the work-related activity group or the support group. If you are in neither, you also need a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a disabled child, or a child under 5 living with you.
Universal Credit	You and any partner must not be employed or gainfully self-employed. On top of that you need either limited capability for work because of a health condition or disability, or a child under 5 living with you. You also qualify if your claim includes a disabled child amount.
Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance	You need a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a disabled child, or a child under 5 living with you.
Support for Mortgage Interest	Treated as a qualifying benefit where you have a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a disabled child, or a child under 5 living with you.

Quick check

Will I get a Cold Weather Payment this winter?

1
Do you get Pension Credit?

→ If yes, you qualify with no further conditions. This is the single most common route for people over State Pension age, and the main reason unclaimed Pension Credit is so costly.
2
Do you get another qualifying benefit?

→ Universal Credit, income-related ESA, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Support for Mortgage Interest can all qualify, but each carries extra conditions - see the table above.
3
Does your postcode trigger a cold spell?

→ Your postcode is linked to a Met Office station. If the seven-day average there hits 0°C or below, a payment is triggered for everyone eligible in that area.
4
Is it between 1 November and 31 March?

→ The scheme is closed outside these dates. A freezing week in October or April produces nothing, however cold it gets.

Meet all four and the £25 is paid automatically within 14 working days.

Pension Credit is the key that unlocks this

If you are over State Pension age and on a low income, the single most valuable thing you can do is check your Pension Credit entitlement. Even an award of a few pence a week qualifies you for Cold Weather Payments, the free TV licence at 75, the Warm Home Discount, Council Tax Reduction and help with NHS costs. Savings do not automatically rule you out either - see how savings affect Pension Credit.

The postcode checker

GOV.UK runs a Cold Weather Payment postcode checker that tells you whether a qualifying cold spell has been recorded in your area. It opens when the scheme starts on 1 November 2026 and is updated through the winter. Enter the first part of your postcode and it will tell you the dates of any qualifying periods.

The checker only tells you whether your area triggered a payment. It cannot tell you whether you are eligible, because that depends on your benefit, which DWP holds separately. If the checker shows a payment for your postcode and you are on a qualifying benefit, you should be paid without doing anything.

When and how you get paid

Payments are made within 14 working days of the qualifying period ending, into the same account as the benefit that qualified you. On your bank statement it usually shows as your National Insurance number followed by a reference such as "DWP CWP".

The payment is per household, not per person, so a couple on a joint claim receives one £25 payment for each qualifying period rather than two. It is tax-free, does not count as income for any means-tested benefit, and does not count towards the benefit cap.

Scenario

Joan

Widow, 78, Pension Credit, County Durham

Situation: Joan lives alone on the State Pension topped up by Pension Credit Guarantee Credit. Her postcode is linked to a weather station in the north Pennines.

Pension Credit qualifies her automatically - no extra conditions to meet.
In a cold winter her area might trigger three qualifying periods, giving her £75 in total, paid in three separate £25 amounts.
In a mild winter she may get nothing from this scheme - but she still gets the Winter Fuel Payment and the Warm Home Discount, which do not depend on the weather.
None of it is taxable or counts against her Pension Credit.

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How it differs from the other winter schemes

These three schemes are constantly confused with each other. They have different eligibility rules, different amounts and different payment methods, and you can receive all three in the same winter.

Scheme	Amount	Who gets it	Weather dependent?	How it arrives
Cold Weather Payment	£25 per 7-day freezing spell	People on qualifying means-tested benefits	Only when the weather is cold enough	Cash, automatically, within 14 working days
Winter Fuel Payment	£100 to £300 once a year	Born on or before 27 June 1960	Guaranteed every winter, whatever the weather	Cash, automatically, November or December
Warm Home Discount	£150 once a year	People on qualifying low-income benefits	Guaranteed if eligible	Credit on your electricity bill, not cash

Full details of the age-based scheme are in our Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27 guide, including the £35,000 clawback and the September opt-out deadline.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

England and Wales: the Cold Weather Payment rules on this page apply, administered by DWP.
Northern Ireland: runs the same scheme with its own postcode checker on nidirect.
Scotland: there is no Cold Weather Payment. Scotland replaced it with the Winter Heating Payment, a guaranteed annual payment made whatever the weather. It is £62.00 for winter 2026/27, up from £59.75 the previous winter. Families caring for a child with the highest level of disability support receive the separate Child Winter Heating Payment of £255.80. Pensioners in Scotland receive the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, worth between £105.55 and £316.70 for winter 2026/27 depending on household circumstances.

Guaranteed beats weather-dependent

The Scottish approach trades a higher ceiling for certainty. A household in a cold Highland postcode might have collected more than £62 under the old Cold Weather Payment rules in a severe winter, but in a mild one they would have received nothing. The Winter Heating Payment pays every year regardless.

If you think you should have been paid

Check the postcode checker first to confirm a qualifying period was actually recorded for your area. If it was, and 14 working days have passed, contact the office that pays your qualifying benefit - the Pension Service for Pension Credit, or Jobcentre Plus for the others.

The two most common reasons for a missing payment are both fixable:

DWP does not know about a change. A new baby, a child under 5 moving in, or a change in your ESA group can all create eligibility. DWP will not apply it retrospectively if nobody told them.
You are not on a qualifying benefit at all. By far the most common cause among pensioners, and usually solved by claiming Pension Credit, which can be backdated by three months.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Cold Weather Payment in 2026/27?: It is £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather in your area between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027. There is no cap on the number of payments: in a severe winter an area can trigger several separate payments, and in a mild winter it may trigger none at all. The amount has been £25 per period since 2008/09.
How does the Cold Weather Payment temperature trigger work?: A payment is triggered when the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below across seven consecutive days. It is the average across the whole seven days, not a single cold night, which is why a frosty week does not always trigger a payment. Each postcode is linked to one of around 90 Met Office weather stations, and it is that station’s readings that decide whether your area qualifies, not the temperature outside your own front door.
Do I need to claim the Cold Weather Payment?: No. If you are eligible you are paid automatically, straight into the account where your benefit is paid. There is no application form and no need to contact DWP when a cold spell happens. The one thing worth doing is telling the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus if you have a baby or a child under 5 moves in with you, because DWP will not know about a change that affects your eligibility unless you tell them.
How do I check if my postcode qualifies for a Cold Weather Payment?: GOV.UK runs a Cold Weather Payment postcode checker that tells you whether a payment has been triggered in your area. It goes live at the start of the scheme on 1 November and is updated through the winter as cold spells are recorded. Northern Ireland has its own checker on nidirect. There is no checker for Scotland because Scotland does not use the Cold Weather Payment scheme at all.
When will I get the Cold Weather Payment?: Within 14 working days of the qualifying cold spell ending. It is paid into the same account as your benefit and appears on your statement with your National Insurance number followed by a reference such as "DWP CWP". If a payment has been triggered for your postcode and nothing arrives within 14 working days, contact the office that pays your benefit - the Pension Service if you are on Pension Credit.
Does the Cold Weather Payment affect my other benefits?: No. It is tax-free, it does not count as income for any means-tested benefit, and it does not affect Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. It also does not count towards the benefit cap. You can receive it alongside the Winter Fuel Payment and the Warm Home Discount in the same winter.
What do people in Scotland get instead?: Scotland replaced the Cold Weather Payment with the Winter Heating Payment, a guaranteed annual payment made regardless of the weather. It is £62.00 for winter 2026/27, up from £59.75 the previous winter, and is paid automatically by Social Security Scotland to people on qualifying low-income benefits. Families caring for a child with the highest level of disability support get the separate Child Winter Heating Payment, worth £255.80. Pensioners in Scotland get the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment rather than the Winter Fuel Payment.
Is the Cold Weather Payment the same as the Winter Fuel Payment?: No, they are completely separate and you can get both. The Winter Fuel Payment is a single annual payment of £100 to £300 based on your age, paid in November or December whatever the weather. The Cold Weather Payment is £25 per freezing week, paid only when the weather actually triggers it, and only to people on qualifying means-tested benefits. Many people who get the Winter Fuel Payment get no Cold Weather Payment at all because they are not on a qualifying benefit.
Why did my neighbour get a Cold Weather Payment and I did not?: Almost always because of the benefit you are on rather than where you live, since neighbouring postcodes usually share a weather station. The most common reason is that they claim Pension Credit and you do not. DWP estimates that a large minority of eligible pensioner households never claim Pension Credit, and because it is the gateway to Cold Weather Payments, the free TV licence at 75 and the Warm Home Discount, not claiming it can cost several thousand pounds a year.
How many Cold Weather Payments can I get in one winter?: There is no limit. Each separate seven-day qualifying period triggers its own £25 payment, so a prolonged cold winter in a northern or upland postcode can produce several payments, while a mild winter in the south may produce none. Payments are made per household rather than per person, so a couple on a joint claim receives one £25 payment per qualifying period, not two.