Scotland to replace Cold Weather Payments with Low Income Winter Heating Assistance

Scotland is moving to a new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance from the winter of 2022, replacing the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland¹. The new payment will be £50 to households in Scotland receiving certain benefits on a qualifying date in November 2022, and will be made to all eligible households in February 2023¹.

The Cold Weather Payment remains available in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at present, but from the winter of 2022 Scotland moves to the new assistance¹. The existing Cold Weather Payment is £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March, paid when the average temperature in an area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days¹. Cold Weather Payments do not affect other benefits¹.

Under the Low Income Winter Heating Assistance, eligibility covers households in Scotland receiving Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest on a qualifying date in November 2022¹. Further details have not been reported¹.

Separately, Marie Curie states that the Winter Heating Payment replaced the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland from February 2023, describing it as an annual payment for people on certain benefits for which eligible people do not need to apply². It also states that Winter Heating Payments do not affect any other benefits². The two accounts differ on the name of the Scottish replacement and on the timing: Entitledto describes a Low Income Winter Heating Assistance paying £50 in February 2023¹, while Marie Curie describes a Winter Heating Payment that replaced the Cold Weather Payment from February 2023².

Marie Curie also sets out other support. The Winter Fuel Payment is money paid once a year to help with heating bills, available to everyone in England and Wales born before a certain date, with eligible people in Northern Ireland expected to get the same payment². In Scotland, a similar payment is available called Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, and eligible people receive a letter in November or December telling them how much they will get². Cold Weather Payments are currently available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland². The Warm Home Discount is a one-off discount on an energy bill, not money paid to the claimant, offered by some energy suppliers in England, Scotland and Wales, and is not available in Northern Ireland².

Why it matters for households

For households in Scotland receiving Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest on a qualifying date in November 2022, the winter of 2022 brings a different payment: £50 paid in February 2023 under the Low Income Winter Heating Assistance¹. That replaces the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland, which pays £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March¹. Households elsewhere in the UK continue under the existing Cold Weather Payment rules¹.

The change means the amount received in Scotland no longer depends on how many cold spells occur, because the new payment is a single £50 sum rather than a payment per qualifying 7 day period¹. Households in Scotland in receipt of the listed benefits on the qualifying date in November 2022 are covered by the new payment, and it is paid in February 2023¹. Cold Weather Payments do not affect other benefits, and Marie Curie states that Winter Heating Payments do not affect any other benefits either¹.

Other winter support sits alongside these payments. The Winter Fuel Payment is paid once a year to people in England and Wales born before a certain date, with eligible people in Northern Ireland expected to get the same payment, and in Scotland the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is available². The Warm Home Discount is a one-off discount on an energy bill rather than a cash payment, and is not available in Northern Ireland². Marie Curie's page also covers the Priority Services Register in England, Scotland and Wales and the Customer Care Register in Northern Ireland, which offer extra support such as priority help in an emergency and notice of planned power cuts².

What happens next

The Low Income Winter Heating Assistance payment is to be made to all eligible households in February 2023¹. Entitledto states it will update its information when further details are released¹. Marie Curie states that eligible people do not need to apply for the Winter Heating Payment².