UK households receiving Universal Credit are noticing an extra £25 in their bank accounts. The payments have been triggered to help with the costs of heating homes during the current spells of snow, frost and ice.
The Department for Work and Pensions announced that more Cold Weather Payments had been triggered for 950,000 households at the weekend in several areas including some towns and cities in the Midlands. Parts of the region that are eligible for the latest round of payments include Stoke on Trent, Newcastle under Lyme, Stafford, Uttoxeter, Stone, Kidgrove, Barlaston, Penkridge, Hopton, Gnosall and Ecceshall. Many other regions of the UK have also triggered the payments, including Derbyshire and Cumbria.
The cash normally appears in accounts within five days but can take up to 14 days to arrive. A £25 payment is triggered whenever the temperature in any postcode is zero degrees Celsius or below for seven days in a row, and some areas have had such prolonged subzero conditions that they qualify for two payments totalling £50.
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The Cold Weather Payment is given to those on Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and income-related Employment and Support Allowance, along with homeowners who get Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) to help them pay the interest on up to £200,000 of their mortgage.
As well as being on any of those benefits, you normally need to be receiving a disability or pensioner top-up and have a child who is disabled or under five. For those on Universal Credit, it doesn’t matter whether you and your partner are employed, self-employed or not working.
Cold Weather Payments will continue to be paid until the end of March. They will be sent into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.
Temperature readings are taken from your nearest weather station. But if you think you’ve missed out on a payment, you should tell officials. Those on Universal Credit can add a note to their online account or call the helpline on 0800 328 5644, while Pension Credit recipients should call the Pension Service, and people on other eligible benefits should speak to Jobcentre Plus.
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