One million homes are set to receive a £25 cold weather payment as temperatures plunge below zero.
Snow is expected to continue to fall across parts of the UK tomorrow, with multiple weather warnings in place.
Britons have experienced the coldest night this winter to date, with temperatures falling to as low as -10.9C, which was recorded at Shap in Cumbria.
Storm Goretti is expected to bring heavy snow to UK on Thursday with fresh Met Office weather warnings issued for snow and ice across large parts of England and Wales, with further warnings in place until Friday.
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.
On Wednesday, the DWP released a new set of postcodes eligible for the payment, meaning homes in 697 postal areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive the cash.
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 an area where the temperature is zero degrees or lower for seven consecutive days.
Those eligible claim:
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?
Payments have been triggered in 697 postcodes across parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland as temperatures drop to zero degrees or below.
The full list of postcodes triggered are:
Cumbria
Carlisle & North Cumbria: CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4, CA5, CA6, CA7, CA8
Scottish Border (overlaps Dumfries & Galloway): DG16
Dorset
Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch area: BH1–BH25 (covering Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, and parts of East Dorset).
East Dorset/Wimborne area: BH31
Dorchester & West Dorset: DT1, DT2
North Dorset / Hampshire border: SP6 (Fordingbridge area)
Cheshire & South Manchester fringe
Crewe & Nantwich: CW1–CW5
Sandbach to Middlewich area: CW10–CW11
Northwich & Winsford area: CW8–CW9
Congleton area (Cheshire East): CW12
Tarporley area: CW6–CW7
Temperatures have plummeted in Cheshire (Getty)
Greater Manchester & Lancashire
Manchester & Salford: M1–M90 (range includes city centre, south Manchester, Trafford, Salford).
Rochdale & Oldham: OL1–OL12, OL15–OL16
Chorley (partly Lancashire): PR7
Stockport & Cheshire East
Stockport & South Manchester area: SK1–SK9, SK10–SK12, SK14–SK16
Warrington & Cheshire WestStaffordshire
Stoke-on-Trent & Newcastle-under-Lyme: ST1–ST7
Stafford & surrounding districts: ST12–ST21
Stone, Rugeley, etc: ST15–ST19
Warwickshire / West Midlands edge
Shipston-on-Stour area: CV36
Gloucestershire & North Cotswolds
North Cotswolds (Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow, Chipping Campden): GL54, GL55, GL5
Oxfordshire (north & west)
Chipping Norton & Banbury area: OX7, OX15, OX16, OX17
Line of trees silhouetted by winter sun in Oxfordshire, after heavy flooding (Planet One Photos/UCG/Universal via Getty)
Worcestershire (edge of Cotswolds)Powys (Mid Wales)
Llandrindod Wells & surrounding area: LD1, LD2, LD4, LD5, LD6, LD7, LD8
Carmarthenshire
Llandovery & Llangadog: SA19, SA20
Shropshire
Shrewsbury area: SY1–SY6
Oswestry & Welsh border: SY10–SY13, SY1
Freezing temperatures make icy road conditions treacherous for motorists in Shropshire. (Alamy)
Telford & WrekinRutland / LeicestershireNorthamptonshire
Kettering & Corby area: NN14–NN18
Cambridgeshire / Peterborough
Peterborough area: PE1–PE9
Fenland / Huntingdonshire area: PE15–PE29
Cambridgeshire villages: PE26–PE28
Northern Ireland (Down)
County Down: BT24–BT34 (covers Ballynahinch, Dromore, Banbridge, Newcastle and surrounding towns)