DWP benefits and grants to help beat the cold weather this winter

But there is some help available, in the form of Winter Fuel Payments, Warm Home Discount, £150 energy bill reduction, DWP Cold Weather Payment and Household Support Fund.

It’s worth checking what you’re entitles to and how to claim – here’s the main support available.

Winter Fuel payments or Pension Age Winter Heating Payments

Winter fuel payments have been automatically paid into people’s bank accounts, with eligible pensioners receiving a letter in October or November saying how much they will receive. Payments have been made between mid-November and December 2025.

The Government previously announced plans to restrict eligibility for winter fuel payments, but this was later rowed back on, with payments being restored to the vast majority of pensioners who had previously received them.

In Scotland, this is called pension age winter heating payments, with eligible people of state pension age receiving between £101.70 and £305.10, depending on their circumstances.

All those born on or before September 21, 1959 who were living in Scotland between September 15 and September 21 should now have received the payment.

For pensioners with a taxable income of more than £35,000, the Government said the payment will be taken back through the tax system during in the 2026/27 financial year.

Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount has been expanded this winter, meaning 6 million households will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter.

This means 2.7 million extra households will receive £150 off their energy bills, bringing up the number to 6 million in total – including 900,000 families with children and a total of 1.8 million households in fuel poverty.

Who is eligible for the Warm Home Discount?

Those on means-tested DWP benefits, including:

• Housing Benefit 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) 
• Income Support 
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit) 
• Universal Credit

For the vast majority of recipients, £150 will be automatically deducted from their energy bill.

Some households may need to provide extra information to ensure they get the discount, and will receive a letter advising them to call the helpline provided.

Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey said: “We know how difficult the festive season can be for those struggling with their bills.

“Around six million households will benefit from £150 off their energy bills this winter and, for many, help is just around the corner.”

£150 off energy bills in 2026

In the autumn budget, Rachel Reeves announced all households would get £150 off their energy bills in 2026. Confusingly, this is separate from the Warm Home Discount, and eligible bill-payers will get both.

Details on this are still rolling out, but Eon, Octopus and British Gas have all said this will be done by simply cutting all customers’ rates, including those on fixes, by this amount on April 1

Martin Lewis backed this policy, saying: “The government has told me it is pushing all firms to follow suit, as it should. The key for me, though, is how it will be implemented and making sure it is transparent. I believe a straight cut on all bills on 1 April is the cleanest and best way to do it.”

DWP Cold Weather Payment

This £25 a week grant aims to help people with their heating bills when temperatures drop to zero. It is paid out by the Department for Work and Pensions to eligible households whenever the average temperature in the area drops to freezing or below for seven consecutive days.

It’s organised by postcodes, and payments are triggered if zero temperatures are either forecast or recorded between November 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

It only runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there’s a one-off Winter Heating Payment of nearly £60.

Recommended reading:

Full details of the Cold Weather Payment scheme can be seen on the Gov.uk website .

Who is eligible for Cold Weather Payments?

It is usually paid to the following groups:

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

Pensioners with care needs can also apply for attendance allowance.

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

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

Remember to check your post this week for a Warm Home Discount Letter

If you’re eligible, you could receive a £150 discount on your electricity bill this winter. pic.twitter.com/DZLQ3wNKW8

— Sadik Al-Hassan MP 🌹 (@SadikAlHassanMP) November 2, 2025

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 or your partner have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work (with or without work-related activity)
• you have a child under 5 living with you

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.

People who are eligible do not need to apply for the Cold Weather Payment: they’ll receive it automatically.

Anyone who receives one of the above benefits and who has a baby, or begins looking after a child under five, this winter is encouraged to tell Jobcentre Plus. Claimants will not automatically receive the payments otherwise.