Winter Heating Payment

The Winter Heating Payment is designed to assist individuals receiving low-income benefits who may require additional heating support. Social Security Scotland administers this benefit to the residents of Scotland.

What is the Winter Heating Payment? 

The Winter Heating Payment serves as assistance for individuals receiving certain benefits who may experience additional heating expenses. It serves as a replacement for the Cold Weather Payment provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and shares identical eligibility criteria. 

Unlike the Cold Weather Payment, the Winter Heating Payment is not dependent on temperature. It is a yearly automatic payment, and you can find the most recent payment amounts for the Winter Heating Payment on the mygov.scot page here.

Receiving the Winter Heating Payment will not impact the receipt of other current benefits, including Universal Credit and the Winter Fuel Payment. 

Who is eligible to apply for Winter Heating Payment? 

To be eligible for the Winter Heating Payment, you must:

• Live in Scotland
• Get a 'qualifying benefit'
• Get the qualifying benefit on the 'qualifying week', which you can find on the mygov.scot website. For 2024, the qualifying week was 4 November to 10 November 2024. 

The following qualifying benefits are:  

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-Related Employment Support Allowance
• Support for Mortgage Interest
• Pension Credit  

How much is the Winter Heating Payment?

You can find the most recent payment amounts for the Winter Heating Payment on the mygov.scot page here. For the winter 2024-2025 payment was £58.75. 

When will I get my payment? 

 Payments are expected each February. For example, payments for winter 2025-26 are expected in February 2026.

How do I apply?

Since you must already be receiving a qualifying benefit to receive the Winter Heating Payment, you should be able to receive it without further action. The payment will be automatically deposited into the same bank account as your qualifying benefit.  

Social Security Scotland will send you a notification letter before making the payment. 

If you believe you are eligible for the Winter Heating Payment but have not received it, please reach out to an adviser who can provide the necessary assistance. 

How will I know if I qualify for the Winter Heating Payment? 

You will receive a letter from Social Security Scotland before they make the payment. You can identify the payment by the reference code on your bank statement, which will include "WHP", which stands for Winter Heating Payment.