AT one of the most expensive times of year, it’s always helpful to get an extra boost.
Households getting Universal Credit could be getting some much-needed free cash over the Christmas period – and you won’t need to pay it back.
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From supermarket vouchers to energy bill discounts, we explain what you can get.
While eligibility depends on your circumstances, anyone eligible for all the help could be £3,310 better off.
Warm House Discount – £150
Automatic payments worth £150 are going out to eligible households now.
It’s via the Warm Home Discount scheme (WHD) and comes directly from your supplier, if you’re eligible and in England and Wales.
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You should get the cash as long as you were claiming one of the eligible benefits on August 13 this year.
That includes:
You should get a letter explaining that you qualify for the scheme
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Exactly when you get the payment depends on your supplier.
Some have already started making them, but the final deadline is by March 2024.
If you think you’re eligible but haven’t got a payment or a letter, it’s worth getting in touch with your supplier.
Households should contact the Warm Home Discount hotline on 0800 107 8002 before 29 February 2024.
Cold weather payment – up to £50
A spate of cold weather recently means that extra payments have been triggered in hundreds of areas – and more are likely to come.
Cold weather payments are dished out to those on low incomes when temperatures drop below zero for seven days in a row, or are forecast to.
The extra cash is designed to help cover the cost of putting the heating on in the coldest months between November 1 and March 31.
Each period of freezing temperatures means a single £25 payment. But further periods mean multiple payments.
Do far this year up to £50 has been dished out in a handful of locations.
You can use the postcode checker to see if you’re due a payment.
Cold weather payments have been replace in Scotland and you might get an annual £50 Winter Heating Payment instead – find out more on the Scottish Government website.
You’re eligible for the cold weather payment scheme if you’re in receipt of one of the following benefits and meet certain criteria:
Depending on your specific circumstances, you may also need to meet one or more of the following additional criteria:
- Have a disability or be in receipt of pension premium
- Have a child who is disabled
- Be in receipt of child tax credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Have a severe or enhanced disability premium
- Be in receipt of a limited capability for work amount
- Have a child under five living with you
Regardless of employment, Universal Credit claimants are eligible if they have a disabled child amount in their claim.
You can find out more about eligibility on the government’s website.
Winter fuel payment – up to £600
Winter fuel payments are aimed at helping older people manage with higher winter energy costs.
They are usually worth up to £300 a year, but there’s an extra boost due to the cost of living crisis which means they are double that at £600.
Also known as the winter fuel allowance, it started going out to bank accounts from November 1 and you should get it by the end of December, if eligible.
To qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment and Pensioner Cost of Living Payment, the following must apply:
- You were born on or before September 25, 1957
- You lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of 18 to 24 September 2023 – this is called the ‘qualifying week’
If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both of the following apply:
- You live in Switzerland or a European Economic Area (EEA) country
- You have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK – this can include having lived or worked in the UK, and having family in the UK
You cannot get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.
You won’t get the payment if you are in hospital for more then a year getting free treatment and in some other circumstances.
You shouldn’t need to claim if you get the following:
- State Pension
- Pension Credit
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Carers Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Income Support
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- awards from the War Pensions Scheme
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Industrial Death Benefit
If you don’t get the payment but think you should have you can make a claim.
You may also need to make a claim if you’ve deferred taking the state pension, or if it’s the first time getting the payment.
You can make a claim now by post or phone, and you have until Match 31, 2024.
You can call 0800 731 0160, or write to: Winter Fuel Payment Centre
Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1LR.
Household Support Fund – up to £1,000
The Household Support Fund (HSF) is a pot of cash from the government being dished out to by local councils to people in need.
Exactly how much you can get depends on where you live, ans your circumstance.
For example in Torridge families can get up to £1,000. Meanwhile in the London Borough of Merton £170 is being paid out to those automatically.
In some areas payments are made directly to bank accounts, while for others there are supermarket vouchers.
You can find your local council using this tool and searching you postcode to see what help is available near to you.
Energy bill help – up to £1,500
A huge fund has reopened offering help to anyone struggling with energy bill payments.
It comes from the British Gas Energy Trust – but you don’t need to be a customer.
The scheme reopened on December 4 and is expected to close at the end of March 2024.
You could energy debts of up to £1,500 written off, but you’ll also need to be seeking debt advice too, like from Stepchange or Citizen’s Advice.
Find out more about the scheme and how to apply – plus, what other suppliers offer.
Christmas bonus – £10
A bonus payment worth £10 should already have gone out to millions on Universal Credit and benefits this winter.
Payments start from the first full week of December, but the exact date can vary as there a many to be made.
It’s tax-free and won’t affect your usual benefit payments.
You don’t need to apply], and should get it automatically into the same account where you receive your regular benefit payments
You’ll need to be claiming the eligible benefits during the first full week of December to get the cash too.
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You’ll see DWP XB on your bank account or statement when it’s paid.
Check out the full list of benefits that qualify for the £10 Christmas bonus.
