Winter Heating Payment replaces Cold Weather Payment in Scotland

The Winter Heating Payment replaced the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland from February 2023, according to Marie Curie¹. The Scottish Government said it launched the payment in February 2023, "replacing CWP in Scotland with a guaranteed payment each winter"². It is an annual payment for people on certain benefits, and eligible people do not need to apply¹.

The payment is £62, paid automatically into a bank account for people getting one of the qualifying benefits, with a single payment made between December and February³. Social Security Scotland writes to recipients before making the payment³. Qualifying benefits include Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Support for Mortgage Interest⁴. Some of these carry extra conditions: for Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the Support for Mortgage Interest loan, the claimant must also have a disability or pensioner premium, get Child Tax Credit including a child disability element, or have a disabled child or a child under five living with them; for Universal Credit, the claimant must be unemployed with limited capability for work, or employed with a disabled child, among other routes³. There is a "qualifying week" each year when Social Security Scotland assesses which benefits a person receives⁴. The payment does not affect any other benefits¹.

The Winter Heating Payment is separate from the UK-wide Winter Fuel Payment, which is not available to Scottish residents⁴. Marie Curie states that the Winter Fuel Payment is available to everyone in England and Wales born before a certain date, with eligible people in Northern Ireland expected to get the same payment¹. In Scotland, a similar payment called Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is available¹. The Scottish Government said Pension Age Winter Heating Payment would replace the UK Government's Winter Fuel Payment in winter 2024, delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions on behalf of the Scottish Government in 2024/2025, ahead of Social Security Scotland taking responsibility in 2025/26². It said the UK Government's decision to restrict Winter Fuel Payment eligibility left Scottish Ministers with "no choice but to mirror this approach"².

The Scottish Government set Pension Age Winter Heating Payment at £200 for an individual or benefit household under 80 and £300 where a member is 80 or over, based on age during the qualifying week in September². It estimated the payment would lead to investment of approximately £30 million in winter 2024, supporting between 110,000 and 130,000 eligible people, depending on Pension Credit take-up². It also said payments in Scotland were expected to begin a day after England and Wales².

Why it matters for households

For households in Scotland on the qualifying benefits, the change means support no longer depends on how cold the winter is. The Cold Weather Payment was triggered by temperature thresholds; the Winter Heating Payment is a fixed £62 paid once a year between December and February, with no application needed¹. Anyone whose entitlement rested on a cold spell in a particular area now receives a set amount instead.

The payment reaches people on means-tested benefits including Pension Credit, Universal Credit and income-related Employment and Support Allowance⁴. Because it is automatic, households do not need to claim, but those who think a payment has been missed can contact Social Security Scotland³. The Scottish Government has noted that Pension Credit take-up affects how many people receive pension-age winter support, citing an estimate that up to £1.7 billion of Pension Credit went unclaimed by eligible people in 2019/20².

Older households in Scotland face separate arrangements. The Winter Fuel Payment is not available to Scottish residents⁴, and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment operates in its place, with amounts of £200 or £300 depending on age². Marie Curie says eligible people receive a letter in November or December telling them how much they will get¹.

What happens next

The Scottish Government said Social Security Scotland would take responsibility for delivering Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in 2025/26². The Winter Heating Payment qualifying week is assessed each year, and payments follow between December and February⁴.