Thousands on benefits receiving free £251 payment to cover energy bills – check if you qualify

THOUSANDS of households connected benefits should look retired for a escaped £251 outgo landing successful accounts to screen vigor bills.

The assistance comes via the Child Winter Heating Payment which is designed to assistance disabled young radical and their families.

The outgo is lone made to households successful Scotland, usually successful October oregon November, and covers the accrued costs of heating implicit the wintertime months.

The fig of payments issued successful 2023/24 was 30,400, up from astir 26,000 the twelvemonth before.

That means successful each likelihood tens of thousands volition person payments worthy £251.50 successful 2024/25.

The other outgo volition travel successful much than useful aft the terms headdress roseate by £149 a twelvemonth past month.

It means the mean household successful England, Wales and Scotland connected a dual-fuel tariff is paying £1,717 a year, up from £1,568 previously.

Of course, your yearly measure mightiness person gone up much oregon little than this depending connected your usage arsenic the terms headdress conscionable sets a bounds connected what suppliers tin complaint per portion of gas and electricity.

Who is eligible for the Child Winter Heating Payment?

Households with a kid aged nether 19 and connected a fig of benefits qualify. The database of qualifying benefits is:

• the highest complaint of the attraction constituent of Child Disability Payment
• the highest complaint of the attraction constituent of Disability Living Allowance for children
• the enhanced regular surviving constituent of Personal Independence Payment
• the enhanced complaint of the regular surviving constituent of Adult Disability Payment 

You indispensable person been receiving 1 of the supra benefits astatine slightest 1 time successful the 3rd afloat week of September to get the Child Winter Heating Payment.

In 2024/25 this is September 16 to September 22.

You besides suffice if you assertion a payment aft the 3rd week of September and negociate to backdate it.

If you unrecorded successful a household with much than 1 kid oregon young idiosyncratic who qualifies for help, some volition person a payment.

The Child Winter Heating Payment is made automatically and you bash not request to apply.

It is usually paid into the aforesaid relationship you person your qualifying benefit.

So, if you person PIP, it volition beryllium transferred into the relationship you person that.

It's worthy bearing successful mind, if you unrecorded extracurricular the UK but inactive suffice for a Child Winter Heating Payment, you volition request to apply.

You person to capable successful a signifier disposable via mygov.scot and nonstop it to: Child Winter Heating Payment, PO Box 10317, Dundee, United Kingdom, DD1 9GR.

To use by phone, you tin telephone Social Security Scotland from extracurricular the UK connected +44 (0)1382 931 000.

OTHER HELP ON OFFER

What astir if you don't unrecorded successful Scotland? If you're connected benefits successful England, Wales oregon Northern Ireland you tin get different assistance to screen energy bills.

Warm Home Discount

You mightiness beryllium capable to a one-off discount connected your energy oregon state measure via the Warm Home Discount.

It's a £150 automatic deduction applied betwixt October and March each winter.

The outgo is ever made to those connected the Guarantee Credit constituent of Pension Credit.

You whitethorn besides beryllium eligible if you assertion these benefits: Housing Benefit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, the ‘Savings Credit’ portion of Pension Credit oregon Universal Credit.

If you person 1 of the longer database of benefits, the authorities volition measure however overmuch vigor your spot uses to spot if you are eligible for a discount.

Cold upwind payment

Cold upwind payments are made betwixt November and March each wintertime and are worthy £25.

The payments are made to eligible households for each 7 time play wherever temperatures fall, oregon are forecast to fall, to zero degrees Celsius oregon below.

You person £25 for each 7 time acold snap, which means you tin get aggregate payments betwixt November and March.

You lone get acold upwind payments if you unrecorded successful England oregon Wales and are connected a fig of benefits. These are:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit
• Support for Mortgage Interest

However, determination are different circumstantial eligibility requirements to conscionable for each qualifying benefit. You tin find retired much connected gov.uk.

Winter substance outgo - up to £300

Winter substance payments are worthy up to £300 this wintertime and paid to those connected Pension Credit oregon different benefits.

It utilized to beryllium disposable to each those implicit state pension age, but the authorities has made it means-tested.

It is lone disposable to those surviving successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You tin get either £200 oregon £300 depending connected however aged you are.

If you were calved betwixt September 23, 1944, and September 22, 1958, you person £200.

Those calved earlier September 22, 1944, get £300.

In astir cases you person the outgo automatically if you qualify, but immoderate person to use for it.

If you unrecorded abroad, you person to marque a assertion by telephone oregon post. More accusation is connected the gov.uk website.

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