Households in some areas of England will be getting a one-off £25 payment to help with energy costs after temperatures plummeted in recent days. Several areas of the UK have experienced temperatures below zero since the start of the new year, with heavy snow falling in some places too.
Households who claim certain benefits are handed extra cash during episodes of cold weather to help pay heating bills. Each year, between November and March, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) runs its Cold Weather Payment scheme.
Every time the temperature drops below 0C for seven consecutive days, people in affected postcode areas will receive a one-off £25 payment in their bank account. To be eligible for the payments, households must be claiming a qualifying benefit such as Pension Credit, Income Support or Universal Credit.
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The first Cold Weather Payments of the year have now been triggered after areas in the north of England saw temperatures drop in recent days. The payments are triggered if temperatures are either recorded or forecast to be 0C or below for a whole week.
According to the DWP, a total of 18 postcode areas in England are due payments for the period January 2 to January 9. Cold Weather Payments were previously triggered in mid-November during the first cold snap of the season.
To check if your postcode will be getting a payment, you can use the DWP’s postcode checker on the gov.uk website here. You can also search our full list of all the postcode areas due a payment for January below.
Postcode areas that are due a payment include some in Cumbria and Northumberland. Postcodes in Scotland are not part of the Cold Weather Payment scheme, however some areas of the Scottish Borders which are in England despite having a Scottish postcode are eligible for payments.
Further Cold Weather Payments are expected in the coming days as the cold snap continues. The coldest nights of the year are expected this week, with temperatures potentially reaching minus 14C on Wednesday night and minus 16C on Thursday night in northern areas, according to the Met Office.
Full list of postcodes getting DWP Cold Weather Payment for January 2nd to 9th
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DG14
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TD9
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CA9
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NE19
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NE47
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NE48
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NE49
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CA10
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CA11
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CA12
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CA16
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CA17
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LA8
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LA9
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LA10
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LA21
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LA22
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LA23