Britons on certain benefits could receive £25 every seven days this winter when temperatures fall low enough to trigger the DWP's Cold Weather Payment scheme. The payments are not yet being issued, with the 2026/27 scheme due to begin on November 1 and run until March 31, 2027.
How the payment works
Eligible people will receive £25 automatically for each qualifying seven-day period of very cold weather. Under the rules, the average temperature in an eligible person's area must be recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below for seven consecutive days. Once a qualifying period has occurred, the payment should normally arrive within 14 working days.
The scheme is available to people receiving certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest, with payments made automatically where the eligibility conditions are met. Cold Weather Payments are separate from the Winter Fuel Payment and other forms of help with heating costs.
Applying and eligibility
People do not normally need to apply for the £25 payment, although they may need to report a change in circumstances, such as having a baby or a child under five moving in with them.
The warning comes as the Met Office forecasts a shift towards more autumnal conditions across the UK this week. After an unusually mild start to October, temperatures are expected to become cooler as fresher air spreads southwards. The Met Office said rain, showers and strengthening winds will feature, with temperatures returning closer to average.
Weather outlook and regional rules
Looking further ahead, the weather is expected to remain changeable through October, with Atlantic systems bringing periods of rain and strong winds, particularly across western and north-western areas. There could also be shorter cooler spells, although temperatures are expected to be near or slightly above average overall for much of the period.
This means a colder spell does not automatically trigger a Cold Weather Payment. The specific seven-day temperature threshold must be met in the relevant area. People in Scotland cannot receive Cold Weather Payments because the scheme does not operate there. Instead, eligible households may receive an annual Winter Heating Payment regardless of local temperatures.
The DWP's £25 support is designed to help eligible households with additional heating costs during periods of very cold weather. Payments can be made more than once during the winter if separate seven-day qualifying periods occur. The 2026/27 Cold Weather Payment season will therefore begin on November 1, meaning eligible households will need to wait until the scheme opens and the required temperatures are reached before payments can be triggered.
