Eligible households can get £25 when weather is 0°C or below for seven days (Picture: PA)

As the UK braces for freezing temperatures, some households may become eligible for a special payment for cold weather.

If the mercury drops to 0°C or below for seven days in a row in a particular postcode, people living there could qualify for a special payment of £25 to help with their heating costs.

This is separate to the Winter Fuel Payment, a benefit for pensioners which hit the headlines when the government announced plans to means test it this summer.

Low income households in England and Wales are eligible for Cold Weather Payments between November and March if the weather is particularly wintry.

With the whole of England put under alert for cold weather this week and Met Office warnings for ice and snow issued, it is possible the cold snap could last long enough to trigger the payments.

They were last issued in January to areas including Cumbria and Northumberland.

It is now possible to check whether your area will be included and see whether you are entitled to the money by visiting the website of the Department for Work and Pensions.

When are cold weather payments made?

These Cold Weather Payments are made between 1 November and 31 March to people who receive a range of benefits across England and Wales.

They have not yet been issued this winter, but it is possible that the first payments could be made this month if the cold weather stays seven days or longer.

The scheme links postcode districts to Met Office weather stations which report temperatures on a daily basis. Each postcode district is assigned to a weather station with the most similar climate in terms of 1981 to 2010 average winter temperature.

Who is eligible for the Cold Weather Payment?

The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (CWP) scheme provides help to individuals on benefits who are the most vulnerable to the cold. This includes:

Income Support Older people in receipt of Pension Credit Homeowner receiving Support for Mortgage Interest: who has a severe/enhanced disability premium; has a pensioner premium; has a child who is disabled; has a child under 5 living with you or who gets Child Tax Credit that includes disability/serve disability Disabled adults, families with a disabled child or families with a child under 5, who are in receipt of Universal Credit Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

The payments are devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland and made separately.

How to check the latest Cold Weather Payment Postcodes

The latest Cold Weather Payment postcodes are available via the Gov.uk postcode checker.

How much is the Cold Weather Payment?

Those eligible will receive £25 for each seven-day period over the winter months between 1 November and 31 March.

If you are eligible, the money will be paid directly into your bank account automatically.

The DWP has confirmed that households do not need to apply or take any action to ensure they get the money.

In the 2022 to 2023 winter season, an estimated £137.6m was paid out in the scheme.

An estimated 5.5 million payments were made to around 3.7 million people.

Commuters make their way through fog as temperatures become wintry this morning in Northwich, England (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty)

The UK is braced for disruptive snow, ice and cold temperatures over the coming days, the Met Office has said.

Up to 20cm of snow may accumulate in the worst affected areas in the countrys first taste of winter, according to the forecaster.

The Met Office has issued several yellow weather warnings for snow and ice for parts of the UK that began on Sunday afternoon and are in place until Tuesday morning, but said there is potential for warnings to be escalated.

A warning comes into force at 7pm today and will be in place until 10am on Tuesday covering areas in the East Midlands, Yorkshire, Wales and the north of England overnight.

Within the affected areas, there is a chance of power cuts, disruption to road and public transport and the risk of injury from slipping on ice, the weather service said.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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