Winter Heating Payment replaces Cold Weather Payment in Scotland

The Winter Heating Payment has replaced the Cold Weather Payment in Scotland, according to One Parent Families Scotland, which states the payment is £62 from the Scottish Government to help with the cost of fuel¹. The same page says the payment is made automatically into a bank account for people receiving one of the qualifying benefits, and that no application is needed¹.

The payment is not based on temperature. One Parent Families Scotland says recipients get a single automatic payment between December and February if they qualify, and that a letter arrives from Social Security Scotland before the payment is made¹. StepChange states the Winter Heating Payment is an annual payment and not based on temperature levels, paid regardless of the weather to people receiving the listed benefits². Consumer Scotland, in a report published on 2 October 2024, described the Winter Heating Payment as a Scottish Government benefit providing £58.75 per year to those in receipt of qualifying benefits, with a total cost of £19.7m a year in Scotland³. The £62 figure and the £58.75 figure are both reported; the sources do not reconcile them.

Qualifying benefits differ between the two descriptions. One Parent Families Scotland lists Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Support for Mortgage Interest Loan where the claimant also has a disability or pensioners premium, or gets Child Tax Credit including a child disability element, or has a disabled child or a child under 5 living with them; Pension Credit; Universal Credit where the claimant is not employed and has limited capability for work, or limited capability for work and work related activity, or has a disabled child or a child under 5 living with them; and Universal Credit where the claimant is employed and has a disabled child¹. StepChange lists Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Support for Mortgage Interest².

The Cold Weather Payment continues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where it has been replaced in Scotland by the Winter Heating Payment⁴. Turn2us states the temperature in the area where a person lives must be zero degrees Celsius or below for at least seven days in a row, between 1 November and 31 March⁴. StepChange states payments are made when local temperatures are zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days, at £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March, added automatically to benefits².

Child Winter Heating Payment is a separate payment made for children¹. StepChange states it is available to families of disabled children and young people, paid on an individual basis so an extra payment is made for each eligible child². Consumer Scotland gives the figure as £251.50 per year, with a total cost of £5.7m a year in Scotland³.

Why it matters for households

For households in Scotland on the qualifying benefits, the support is no longer triggered by a cold spell. It is a single annual payment made between December and February, so the amount does not rise in a colder winter and does not depend on local temperature records¹. The two published figures for the payment, £62¹ and £58.75³, differ, and the sources do not explain the difference.

Households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland remain on the Cold Weather Payment, where entitlement depends on recorded temperatures and pays £25 per seven-day qualifying period². The Cold Weather Payment guide covers that scheme.

People who do not receive their Winter Heating Payment, or who need more information, are directed to contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222¹. The Winter Heating Payment guide covers Pension Age, Child and Winter Heating Payments in Scotland, and Money help in Scotland covers free guidance and Scottish payments.

What happens next

StepChange states that from winter 2025/26 Scotland will introduce the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP)². Consumer Scotland states the Winter Fuel Payment is due to be devolved in Winter 2025-26 to the Scottish Government's Pension Age Winter Heating Payment³. Consumer Scotland also notes the scheduled end of the Warm Home Discount scheme in March 2026³. No further dates for the Winter Heating Payment have been reported.