10 ways to get free cash as snow and freezing temperatures hit the UK – and you could get thousands of pounds

TEMPERATURES person already dropped this week, with snowfall already hitting astir parts of the country.

This means adjacent the astir defiant households volition beryllium tempted to turn their heating connected to support warm.

It's important susceptible households bash their champion to support lukewarm - adjacent though everyone's worrying astir energy bills.

Bills roseate again successful October erstwhile the energy terms cap went up, and caller investigation shows they're acceptable to spike again successful January.

That's wherefore we each request to beryllium doing what we tin to chopped costs.

It tin sometimes conscionable instrumentality tweaking your thermostat, to slash hundreds of pounds disconnected your bills.

It comes arsenic overmuch of the energy measure enactment that was disposable past wintertime specified arsenic the outgo of surviving outgo and the £400 measure discount has been axed.

So, if you're successful request of other assistance present are ways to get currency to assistance with costs and support your bills down.

Cold upwind payments - £25 a week

As a effect of temperatures hitting beneath zero, thousands of struggling households volition beryllium given a escaped £25 towards vigor bills.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hands retired these payments during the wintertime erstwhile chilly weather triggers the payments.

Cold upwind payments are made successful locations wherever residents acquisition continuous below-zero weather.

Those receiving definite benefits, having a disablement oregon caring for a kid are eligible.

Some areas which experienced extended periods of freezing temperatures received aggregate payouts, adding up to arsenic overmuch arsenic £75.

Here's the full database of postcodes that person qualified for 1 £25 outgo implicit the 2024-25 wintertime play truthful far.

Emergency recognition - worthy £10

Energy companies usually connection exigency credit, though you volition person to wage this back.

British Gas doubled the magnitude customers tin get in an exigency owed to the cost of living crisis.

It means households with a top-up cardinal oregon paper tin spell £10 into indebtedness earlier they're chopped off.

How overmuch you get and however it's applied volition beryllium connected who your supplier is.

It mightiness beryllium added to your metre erstwhile you autumn beneath a definite magnitude oregon you mightiness person to inquire for it.

You mightiness get other if you are vulnerable, for example, if you person a health information oregon are implicit authorities pension age.

You'll person to repay the currency next clip you apical up, but you tin talk to your supplier astir however overmuch you'll wage backmost and implicit what time.

Pension Credit - £3,900 

This payment gives you other wealth to assistance with your surviving costs if you’re implicit the state pension age and connected a debased income.

Pension Credit tin besides assistance with lodging costs specified arsenic crushed rent oregon work charges.

This is simply a abstracted to your authorities pension and you tin suffice for the strategy adjacent if you person different income, savings oregon ain your ain home.

The enactment besides opens up eligibility for societal tariffs, the Warm Home Discount, cheaper broadband, escaped TV licenses, little h2o bills and the Winter Fuel Payment.

When applying, you indispensable emblem if you are azygous oregon surviving with a partner.

You’ll beryllium eligible if either:

• You and your spouse person some reached the State Pension age
• One of you is getting Housing Benefit for radical implicit State Pension age

Pension Credit tops up your play income to £218.15 if you are azygous oregon to £332.95 if you person a partner.

Cash for paying rent - up to £965

There's currency assistance for anyone struggling from your section assembly done the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).

Anyone claiming Housing Benefit oregon the Housing Element of Universal Credit could beryllium eligible if they are struggling with rent costs.

Each section authorization dishes retired the currency to those successful request connected a case-by-case ground and the amounts disposable tin vary.

The Sun antecedently recovered that the average DHP was £965, based connected state of accusation requests sent to 30 of the biggest councils.

The quality successful the maximum magnitude fixed retired ranged from £32,000 successful Brent to £145 successful Wakefield, based connected the 17 councils that responded.

We've rounded up everything you request to know about who tin get the currency and however to claim.

Charity grants - £500

Plenty of charities are keen to assistance retired successful effect to the authorities scaling backmost the wintertime substance outgo and to assistance radical done the outgo of surviving crisis.

For those surviving with cancer, Macmillan's Financial Grants Scheme was established to assistance enactment those who are struggling to screen indispensable surviving costs.

People surviving with MND are besides eligible for up to £500 worthy of outgo of surviving payments, via the MND Association.

The Suffolk Community Foundation has launched the 14th twelvemonth of its yearly Surviving Winter appeal, which is successful effect to wintertime substance payments being slashed.

The British Legion has besides acceptable up a Cost of Living grant, which tin beryllium applied for here using the Lightning Reach portal.

You tin besides find retired what grants whitethorn beryllium disposable to you using Turn2Us's assistance search on the charity website.

There is simply a immense scope of grants disposable for antithetic radical – including those who are bereaved, disabled, unemployed, redundant, ill, a carer, veteran, young idiosyncratic oregon aged person.

Household enactment money - up to £500

Local councils are giving retired currency to assistance households struggling with bills and different indispensable costs.

How overmuch you tin get depends connected wherever you live.

The HSF cookware is worthy £421million successful total.

The money has been divided up between councils in England which are successful complaint of distributing their allocation earlier the extremity of April.

What you tin get depends connected wherever you live, arsenic each section authorization has been fixed its ain unsocial amount.

Some families crossed England are being offered up to £500 per household depending connected your location.

The authorities precocious encouraged authorities pensioners who person conscionable missed retired connected a Winter Fuel Payment to assertion wealth from the Household Support Fund wherever they unrecorded instead.

You tin hunt for yours using the hunt instrumentality connected gov.uk - conscionable participate your postcode.

Local councils besides offer welfare assistance schemes all twelvemonth circular that tin assistance you with bills.

Energy grants - up to £1,500

There are plentifulness of vigor grants and schemes unfastened to assistance you retired if you're struggling.

British Gas has confirmed it'll wage its astir susceptible customers grants worthy £750 to assistance with sky-high bills.

And the British Gas Energy Trust pays hard-up households up to £1,500 - and it doesn't substance if they're not a British Gas customer.

Ask your supplier what's connected connection and however to apply, oregon cheque here:

• British Gas Energy Trust
• Bulb vigor fund
• EDF's vigor lawsuit enactment fund
• E.on's vigor fund
• Octopus Energy Octo Assist fund
• Ovo's indebtedness and vigor assistance
• Scottish Power's hardship fund

There's also a one-off substance voucher from your vigor supplier if you're connected a prepayment meter.

We've already listed the detailed eligibility criteria for each scheme.

Fuel vouchers - worthy £50

If you're connected a prepayment metre you mightiness beryllium capable to get a one-off voucher to apical up.

The substance voucher strategy comes via the Fuel Bank Foundation charity, and it's offered done a scope of organisations, similar nutrient banks and Citizens Advice.

The champion spot to commencement to find determination which tin connection you a substance voucher is by asking your section assembly - you tin find yours via gov.uk by searching your postcode.

The voucher should assistance you screen astir 2 weeks' worthy of energy use.

Some vigor companies whitethorn besides contented their ain vouchers, truthful inquire your supplier directly.

Winter Fuel Payment - £300

The Winter Fuel Payment is an yearly tax-free payment designed to assistance screen the outgo of heating done the colder months.

Most who are eligible person the outgo automatically.

Those who suffice are usually told via a missive sent successful October oregon November each year.

If you bash conscionable the criteria but don't automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you volition person to apply on the government's website.

You'll suffice for a Winter Fuel Payment this wintertime if:

• you were calved connected oregon earlier September 23, 1958
• you lived successful the UK for astatine slightest 1 time during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known arsenic the "qualifying week"
• you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit

If you did not unrecorded successful the UK during the qualifying week, you mightiness inactive get the outgo if some the pursuing apply:

• you unrecorded successful Switzerland oregon a EEA country
• you person a "genuine and sufficient" nexus with the UK societal information system, specified arsenic having lived oregon worked successful the UK and having a household successful the UK

But determination are exclusions - you can’t get the outgo if you unrecorded successful Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain.

This is due to the fact that the mean wintertime somesthesia is higher than the warmest portion of the UK.

You volition besides not suffice if you:

• are successful infirmary getting escaped attraction for much than a year
• need support to participate the UK and your granted permission states that you tin not assertion nationalist funds
• were successful situation for the full "qualifying week"
• lived successful a attraction location for the full clip betwixt 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance oregon income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Payments are usually made betwixt November and December, with immoderate made up until the extremity of January the pursuing year.

Warm location discount - £150

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount connected your energy bill.

If you’re eligible, your energy supplier volition use the discount to your bill. The money is not paid to you.

Applications for the strategy unfastened successful October, however, you whitethorn not get the assistance until adjacent March.

To suffice you'll usually request to beryllium actively claiming 1 of a fig of means-tested benefits during the qualifying week - which is usually successful August.

However, if you aboriginal motorboat a palmy assertion for backdated benefits, you whitethorn inactive beryllium capable to suffice aft this day and erstwhile it's confirmed.

If you suffice for the WHD, you should person a missive telling you. These are usually sent betwixt October and January.

Do you person a wealth occupation that needs sorting? Get successful interaction by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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