Overview
- Cold Weather Payments of £25 per seven days could be triggered this week in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with UKHSA issuing a cold health alert and payments due within about 14 days if local averages hit 0°C or below.
- Winter Fuel Payments of £200–£300 are being paid now to around nine million pensioners, with an income cap of £35,000 in place, some groups needing to claim manually, and HMRC set to recover the payment from higher earners via tax codes or self‑assessment.
- Energy suppliers including British Gas and Octopus are notifying customers that the expanded Warm Home Discount will apply a one‑off £150 credit between November 2025 and March 31, 2026, covering many on Universal Credit and low‑income pensioners.
- The DWP’s £10 Christmas Bonus will be paid automatically in early December to people on specific benefits during the qualifying week of December 1–7, with payments labeled “DWP XB” and Universal Credit‑only claimants excluded.
- Authorities report rising scam attempts tied to Winter Fuel Payments and advise that genuine payments never require applications or bank details, urging reports of suspicious texts to 7726 and emails to the National Cyber Security Centre.