Hundreds of postcodes across the UK are due to receive cold weather payments as temperatures plummet to -5C.

Snowfall is expected across much of the UK in a chilly start to the new year, with multiple ice and weather warnings in place.

As much as 40cm of snowfall is possible in the highest parts of Scotland, with 1-2cm widely expected across affected parts of England, forecasters said.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across large parts of England and Wales between midnight and noon on January 2, with nearly 700,000 households eligible for support.

The freezing weather gripping the UK means some people could qualify for a cold weather payment from the government to help pay for heating bills.

What are cold weather payments, and who is eligible?

Cold weather payments are given to people claiming benefits like universal credit and pension credit to help them cope with the additional costs of heating a home in sub-zero temperatures.

The eligible benefits are:

Income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)

Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)

Support for mortgage interest (SMI)

Payments are for households where the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over seven consecutive days.

Households get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026.

How do I claim a cold weather payment?

If you get a qualifying benefit, the system should add the payment automatically after each seven‑day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

The money should reach a qualifying person’s account within about 14 working days of each cold spell and will appear alongside your usual benefit or pension payments.

If you believe your area had a cold‑weather trigger and you meet the benefit conditions but no payment has arrived, contact your local pension centre or Jobcentre Plus.

If you are on universal credit, you can use your online journal or call the universal credit helpline to report it.

Unsure if your postcode is eligible? Check using the postcode tracker tool on gov.uk.

What households are eligible for cold weather payments?

Around 674,000 people under 18 different postcodes are eligible for cold weather payments over the next week.

The list of postcodes triggered are:

North Yorkshire / Craven

BD23 – Skipton and surrounding villages​

DL8 – Leyburn / Wensleydale​

DL11 – Reeth / Swaledale​

Sunset on a winter evening in the Yorkshire Dales National park with snowy fields bounded by stone walls in the foreground backed by orange sunlight through broken clouds.

Areas of the Yorkshire Dales are experiencing sub-zero temperatures (PA)

County Durham & Darlington area

DH6 – Bowburn / Coxhoe area​

DH7 – Sacriston / Lanchester area​

DL5 – Newton Aycliffe​

DL12 – Barnard Castle​

DL13 – Stanhope / upper Weardale​

DL14 – Bishop Auckland​

DL17 – Ferryhill / Chilton​

TS21 – Sedgefield / west of Stockton​

TS29 – Trimdon Station / Deaf Hill​

Cumbria / Brecon & mid‑Wales fringe

LD3 – Brecon and surrounding area (Powys)​

Cambridgeshire (Cambridge, Ely, South Cambs, East Cambs)

CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5 – Cambridge city districts​

CB6, CB7 – Ely and nearby villages​

CB10, CB11 – Saffron Walden area (Essex but in CB area)​

CB21, CB22, CB23, CB24, CB25 – South and east Cambridgeshire villages (Linton, Sawston, Cambourne, Cottenham, Bottisham etc.)​

PE19 – St Neots (Hunts / Cambs edge)​

Essex (Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon, Uttlesford, Harlow)

CM1, CM2 – Chelmsford​

CM3 – Rural east of Chelmsford / South Woodham Ferrers fringe​

CM6 – Great Dunmow (Uttlesford)​

CM7, CM77 – Braintree districts​

CM9 – Maldon / Heybridge​

CM11, CM12 – Billericay​

CM13, CM14, CM15 – Brentwood​

CM17, CM18, CM19, CM20 – Harlow​

CM21 – Sawbridgeworth​

CM22, CM23, CM24 – Takeley / Bishop’s Stortford / Stansted Mountfitchet​

RM4 – Rural fringe: Havering‑atte‑Bower / Stapleford Abbotts / Abridge (Essex–London border)​

Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire (SG + parts of CM/MK)

SG5 – Hitchin and surrounding villages (Herts/Beds)​

SG6 – Letchworth Garden City​

SG8 – Royston and surrounding villages​

SG10, SG11 – Much Hadham / Standon / Puckeridge area​

SG19 – Sandy and nearby villages​

MK40, MK41, MK42 – Bedford​

MK43 – Marston Moretaine / Cranfield area​

MK44 – North‑east Bedford rural​

MK45 – Ampthill / Flitwick​

MK46 – Olney (Bucks/Beds/Northants border

Milton Keynes & north Buckinghamshire

MK1, MK2, MK3 – Bletchley districts​

MK4, MK5, MK6, MK7, MK8, MK9, MK10, MK11, MK12, MK13, MK14, MK15 – Milton Keynes urban districts​

MK16 – Newport Pagnell​

MK17 – Woburn Sands and nearby villages​

MK18 – Buckingham and villages​

MK19 – Hanslope / rural north‑west of MK​

A serene winter landscape of Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, featuring a small monument on a curvy hill, sheep grazing on a green slope, and a multist

Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, where temperatures have dipped below zero (Alamy)

Northamptonshire

NN1, NN2, NN3, NN4, NN5 – Northampton urban area​

NN6, NN7 – Rural north and south‑west of Northampton​

NN8 – Wellingborough​

NN9 – Raunds / Irthlingborough​

NN29 – Wollaston and nearby villages​

Norfolk (Norwich, King’s Lynn, Breckland, North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, Waveney)

NR1, NR2, NR3, NR4, NR5, NR6, NR7 – Norwich city and suburbs​

NR8, NR9, NR10 – Taverham / Drayton / Hethersett / Coltishall belts​

NR11, NR12, NR13 – North‑east Norfolk / Broads villages​

NR14, NR15 – Poringland / Loddon / Long Stratton​

NR16, NR17, NR18 – East Harling / Attleborough / Wymondham area​

NR19, NR20 – Dereham and rural surrounds​

NR22, NR23 – Walsingham / Wells‑next‑the‑Sea area​

NR24, NR25 – Melton Constable / Holt / Blakeney​

NR28 – North Walsham​

NR29 – Martham / north of Great Yarmouth​

NR30, NR31 – Great Yarmouth / Gorleston​

NR32, NR33 – Lowestoft (Suffolk)​

NR34 – Beccles (Suffolk/Norfolk border)​

NR35 – Bungay (Suffolk/Norfolk border)​

PE30, PE31, PE32, PE33, PE34, PE35, PE36, PE37, PE38 – King’s Lynn, Hunstanton, Swaffham, Downham Market and surrounding Norfolk villages

Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) roosting in slit in tree Norwich January 2025

A tawny owl roosting in freezing Norwich (Getty)

Suffolk / Norfolk fringe (Thetford, Brandon, Mildenhall)

IP24 – Thetford (Breckland, Norfolk, close to Suffolk border)​

IP25 – Watton (Breckland)​

IP26 – Mundford and villages​

IP27 – Brandon (Suffolk/Norfolk border)​

IP28 – Mildenhall / Lakenheath (Suffolk)​

PE12, PE13, PE14 – Long Sutton / Holbeach / Wisbech and Fens (Lincs/Cambs/Norfolk fringes)​

North‑East England (Northumberland / Tyne Valley)

NE18 – Stamfordham area (Northumberland)​

South Wales – Cardiff, Valleys, Gwent

CF37, CF38 – Pontypridd / Tonteg / Llantwit Fardre (Rhondda Cynon Taf)​

CF39, CF40, CF41, CF42, CF43 – Porth, Tonypandy, Pentre, Treorchy, Ferndale (Rhondda Cynon Taf)​

CF44, CF45 – Aberdare / Mountain Ash (Rhondda Cynon Taf)​

CF46 – Treharris (Merthyr Tydfil / Caerphilly border)​

CF47, CF48 – Merthyr Tydfil districts​

CF81, CF82 – Bargoed / Ystrad Mynach (Caerphilly)​

CF83 – Caerphilly and Bedwas area​

NP4 – Pontypool (Torfaen)​

NP11 – Risca / Abercarn (Caerphilly)​

NP12 – Blackwood (Caerphilly)​

NP13 – Abertillery (Blaenau Gwent)​

NP22 – Tredegar (Blaenau Gwent)​

NP23 – Ebbw Vale (Blaenau Gwent)​

NP24 – New Tredegar (Caerphilly/Blaenau Gwent)​

NP44 – Cwmbran (Torfaen)