The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an update on its £25 Cold Weather Payment. The benefits department today revealed that it had paid out a total of £35million in support over the the 2024-25 winter period.
This support went to 1.4million households across England and Wales and over £9million of the energy support went to those claiming Pension Credit. This is up from the just under 1.2 million payments which were made between November 2023 and March 2024, after 31 qualifying periods of cold weather.
The Cold Wather Payments scheme – which is run by the DWP – provides cash payments of £25 to households when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven consecutive days.
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If the cold snap lasts longer, you do get more payments. This means you could be eligible to get £50 or even £75.
Cold Weather Payments are issued between November and March each year and the extra cash is designed to help cover the extra costs associated with cold weather – like the need to put on your heating. The payments are made automatically if you’re eligible and appear in your bank statement within 14 days of the cold snap.
To be eligible for the Cold Weather Payment, you need to claim pension credit if you are over the state pension age. Working-age people need to claim qualifying benefits such as Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance. Alongside this, they must also meet further criteria relating to employment, health conditions and caring responsibilities for young children or a disabled child.
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According to the DWP data, 385,000 households who received cash this winter were claiming the DWP benefit Pension Credit. which is a benefit for people who have reached state pension age and are on a low income. If you’re eligible to claim it, your weekly income will be topped up to £227.10 a week, or to £346.60 if you’re in a couple.
Last year the government announced a major change to another winter support payment – the Winter Fuel Payment.
The payment was previously available to all state pensioners. However, last year, you could only receive the up to £300 payment if you claimed certain means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit.
Around 10million older Brits lost their entitlement to the Winter Fuel Payment, so the government launched an awareness campaign for Pension Credit to help encourage low-income pensioners to sign up for the benefit.
Since the summer of last year, a further 50,000 people signed up for Pension Credit, which was a 64% increase compared to the same period the year before. The hike in signups is attributed to the awareness campaign, although other major public figures such as Martin Lewis urged older Brits to claim.
Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: “We supported millions of households this winter through Pension Credit and Cold Weather Payments, alongside extending the Household Support Fund and the Warm Home Discount.
“For pensioners, this will have come on top of the State Pension which is set to increase by up to £1,900 over this parliament for millions, thanks to our commitment to the Triple Lock. “
Last year, around 800,000 older brits were believed to be eligible for the extra more, meaning even after the spike in applications hundreds of thousands of Brits could still be eligible to claim this year.
According to DWP guidelines, you’ll be eligible for Pension Credit if:
If you have less than £10,000 in savings, your Pension Credit will not be impacted. However, if your savings go over this threshold, support will be deducted. Pension Credit can also give you money off essential bills and housing costs such as Council Tax.
You are also entitled to receive a free TV licence if you’re over 75, the Warm Home Discount worth £150 each year, Cold Weather Payments, Housing Benefit, free dental treatment and vouchers for glasses or contact lenses. You might also get additional payments if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person.
The DWP says those who claim Pension Credit are on average £3,500 a year better off – in some instances it could even be worth over £4,000.
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