There is no £140 Cold Weather Payment. If someone searches for £140 cold weather payment when will it be paid, the £140 figure is most likely being confused with an older Warm Home Discount rate.
The actual Cold Weather Payment remains £25 for each qualifying seven-day period of very cold weather.
The 2026/27 Cold Weather Payment scheme is due to start on 1 November 2026.
Once an eligible area records or is forecast to have an average temperature of 0°C or below for seven consecutive days, eligible households should normally receive £25 within 14 working days. The scheme does not operate in Scotland.
| Support | 2026/27 Amount | When It Is Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Weather Payment | £25 per qualifying 7-day period | Within 14 working days of a trigger |
| Warm Home Discount | £150 | Applied to an eligible energy account during the scheme year |
| Winter Heating Payment in Scotland | £62 | From December and through winter |
| Winter Fuel Payment | £100 to £300 | Most payments in November or December 2026 |
What Is The £140 Cold Weather Payment?
The phrase £140 Cold Weather Payment is misleading because the Cold Weather Payment has not become a £140 lump sum.
The confusion largely comes from older versions of the Warm Home Discount, which historically used a £140 figure. For winter 2026/27, the Warm Home Discount is £150, while the Cold Weather Payment remains a separate £25 weather-triggered payment.
Cold Weather Payments are intended to help eligible low-income and vulnerable households with additional heating costs when temperatures remain particularly low.
Unlike the Warm Home Discount, which reduces an energy bill, Cold Weather Payments are paid into the same bank or building society account used for the claimant’s qualifying benefit.
What Is Changing For Winter 2026/27?
The next Cold Weather Payment season is due to begin on 1 November 2026. The official postcode service currently states that the 2025/26 scheme has ended and that people will be able to check 2026/27 payment triggers from November 2026.
Several related winter-support rules have also been updated.
The Warm Home Discount remains £150 for 2026/27 and is due to reopen in October 2026. In England and Wales, the qualifying date was 23 August 2026.
Eligible households generally need to be with a participating supplier, receive a qualifying means-tested benefit and have the benefit recipient or their partner named on the electricity bill.
Scotland continues to use a different system. Its Winter Heating Payment has increased from £59.75 in 2025/26 to £62 in 2026/27.
How Much Is The Cold Weather Payment?
An eligible household receives £25 for every seven-day period in which the average temperature in its area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below.
This means the total amount someone receives can vary considerably from one winter to another.
For example, two separate qualifying cold periods could result in £50 of Cold Weather Payments, while four qualifying periods could result in £100.
Payments do not reduce other benefit entitlement and normally arrive automatically.
Cold Weather Payment Vs Warm Home Discount
These schemes should not be treated as interchangeable.
| Feature | Cold Weather Payment | Warm Home Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | £25 per qualifying cold period | £150 |
| Type | Cash payment | Energy bill discount |
| Weather Dependent | Yes | No |
| Can Be Paid More Than Once | Yes | No, normally once per scheme year |
| Application | Normally automatic | Usually automatic, although some Scottish households may need to apply |
| Scotland | Not available | Available under separate Scottish rules |
Receiving the Warm Home Discount does not prevent a household from receiving Cold Weather Payments where it otherwise qualifies.
People approaching pension age may also want to check how the separate Winter Fuel Payment clawback rules work in 2026, particularly because the £35,000 individual income threshold affects whether some payments are later recovered through tax.
Who Can Receive A Cold Weather Payment?
Cold Weather Payment entitlement depends on both the weather trigger and the benefits a person receives.
Current GOV.UK eligibility guidance includes Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Support for Mortgage Interest.
Pension Credit
People receiving Pension Credit will usually qualify if a Cold Weather Payment is triggered in their area.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit claimants will normally qualify when both they and their partner, where applicable, are not employed or gainfully self-employed and either:
- They Have Limited Capability For Work
- They Have A Child Under Five Living With Them
- Their Claim Includes A Disabled Child Amount
The disabled child rule can apply even where the claimant or their partner is working.
People receiving Universal Credit can also check the current Universal Credit benefit rates for 2026/27 when reviewing their wider household entitlement.
Income-Related ESA
Someone receiving income-related ESA will normally qualify if they are in the support group or work-related activity group.
Other circumstances may also qualify, including receiving certain disability or pensioner premiums, having a disabled child or having a child under five.
Support For Mortgage Interest
People receiving Support for Mortgage Interest may qualify where they are treated as receiving a qualifying benefit and meet additional conditions relating to disability premiums, pensioner premiums, a disabled child or a child under five.
Older Cold Weather Payment guidance also referenced Child Tax Credit containing a disability or severe disability element in connection with SMI eligibility.
Tax Credits have since closed for most households and current GOV.UK Cold Weather Payment eligibility guidance no longer presents this as a standard standalone route, so anyone relying on transitional entitlement should check their position directly with DWP.
Can Care Home Residents Receive It?
People living in a care home cannot normally receive Cold Weather Payments. Age UK guidance specifically identifies care-home residence as an exclusion from the scheme.
What Temperature Triggers A Cold Weather Payment?
Each postcode is linked to a weather station used for the Cold Weather Payment scheme.
A payment is triggered when the area’s average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below for seven consecutive days.
The important point is that a single freezing night is not enough. The seven-day temperature test must be met.
People do not need to submit weather evidence themselves. The system uses official weather information and processes payments automatically for eligible claimants.
When Will The Cold Weather Payment Be Paid?
Following a qualifying seven-day cold period, an eligible person should normally receive the £25 payment within 14 working days.
The payment goes into the same bank or building society account used for their normal benefit payments.
There is no fixed nationwide payment date because different parts of the country can experience qualifying temperatures at different times.
A claimant could therefore receive several separate £25 payments across one winter if their area experiences several qualifying cold spells.
How Can You Check Whether Your Postcode Qualifies?
For England and Wales, households can use the official Cold Weather Payment postcode checker.
The service currently confirms that the 2026/27 scheme is due to start on 1 November and that new postcode results will become available during November.
People living in Northern Ireland can use the separate Northern Ireland Cold Weather Payment checker.
Northern Ireland has confirmed that its 2026/27 scheme runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027, with payments of £25 per qualifying seven-day period.
What Happens In Scotland?
Scotland does not use the Cold Weather Payment system.
Instead, eligible low-income households may receive the Winter Heating Payment, which is paid regardless of whether temperatures fall below freezing.
For 2026/27, the payment is £62. The qualifying week is 2 November to 8 November 2026, and eligible households are paid automatically from December and through the winter.
This makes the Scottish scheme different from the £25 Cold Weather Payment because there is no seven-day temperature trigger.
Pension-age residents in Scotland may separately qualify for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, which can be worth between £105.55 and £316.70 for winter 2026/27.
Can A Hospital Stay Affect Your Payment?
A hospital stay can affect entitlement, so it should not be ignored.
GOV.UK says people should tell the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus if they go into hospital because this could affect a Cold Weather Payment. Universal Credit claimants should record the hospital stay through their online account or journal.
More generally, DWP guidance says a hospital or rehabilitation-centre stay of one night or longer should be reported to the office responsible for the person’s benefits.
Reporting a stay does not automatically mean the person loses the payment. It allows DWP to assess entitlement using the correct circumstances.
What If Your Cold Weather Payment Does Not Arrive?
Do not assume that a delayed payment means you were not eligible.
First check whether the postcode actually triggered a payment and whether 14 working days have passed. Then check that your qualifying benefit, address, household circumstances and bank information are correct.
Universal Credit claimants can add a message to their online journal. They can also contact the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.
People dealing with an existing ESA claim can contact Jobcentre Plus on 0800 169 0310.
Where Pension Credit is involved, the Pension Service should be contacted if a Cold Weather Payment appears to be missing.
There is not a normal application process for claiming Cold Weather Payments retrospectively, but an eligible payment that has failed to arrive can still be investigated and corrected.
What Other Winter Support Could You Receive?
Households should not assume the Cold Weather Payment is the only assistance available.
The £150 Warm Home Discount continues in winter 2026/27. In England and Wales, qualifying means-tested benefits include Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA and Pension Credit.
Anyone unsure whether they are receiving everything available to them can also use a free benefits calculator listed by GOV.UK.
The calculators can estimate entitlement to benefits and show how changes in income or household circumstances may affect payments.
Households trying to reduce ongoing heating costs can also compare tariffs and review the cheapest gas and electricity supplier options rather than relying solely on winter support payments.
Conclusion
The answer to £140 cold weather payment when will it be paid is that there is no £140 Cold Weather Payment scheduled for winter 2026/27.
The genuine Cold Weather Payment provides £25 for every qualifying seven-day cold spell, with eligible payments normally arriving within 14 working days.
The new season is due to begin on 1 November 2026, while the Warm Home Discount remains a separate £150 energy bill reduction.
Scotland has different rules, with its Winter Heating Payment rising to £62 for 2026/27 and being paid regardless of the weather.
Checking benefit records, reporting household or hospital changes promptly and using the official postcode checker once the season begins can help households identify whether a payment should be due.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There Really A £140 Cold Weather Payment?
No. The actual Cold Weather Payment is £25 for each qualifying seven-day cold spell. The £140 figure is associated with an older Warm Home Discount rate.
When Does The 2026/27 Cold Weather Payment Scheme Start?
The 2026/27 scheme is due to start on 1 November 2026. The official England and Wales postcode checker is expected to provide current-season results from November.
How Long Does A Cold Weather Payment Take To Arrive?
Eligible payments should normally arrive within 14 working days after a qualifying period of very cold weather.
Can You Receive More Than One Cold Weather Payment?
Yes. Each separate qualifying seven-day period can produce another £25 payment.
Does Scotland Get Cold Weather Payments?
No. Scotland uses Winter Heating Payment instead. The 2026/27 payment is £62 and does not depend on local temperatures.
Can A Hospital Stay Stop A Cold Weather Payment?
It can affect entitlement. A hospital stay should be reported to the relevant benefit office so the claimant’s circumstances can be assessed correctly.
Can Park Home Residents Get Winter Heating Support?
Potentially. Park home residents who are not directly supplied with electricity may be able to use the separate Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme if they meet its benefit, income or fuel-poverty conditions.
Cold Weather Payment entitlement is assessed separately under the normal benefit and temperature rules.
