HUNDREDS of thousands of households are set to receive a £55 payment towards their heating bills within weeks.
Energy bills for the average household on a dual fuel tariff sit at £1,834 under the current Ofgem price cap.
So any help will come in more than useful as families contend with inflation at 4.6% – 2.6 percentage points over the Bank of England's 2% target.
Luckily, there's help on the way and hundreds of thousands of households in Scotland are in line for a £55 payment.
The Winter Heating Payment (WHP) is made automatically by Social Security Scotland to those on a low income or benefits once a year.
It replaced the Cold Weather Payment which is made to households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Households this year will see the payment start landing in their bank accounts within weeks – from the middle of December.
Social Security Scotland said the majority of eligible people should be paid by the end of January next year.
If you are in line for the payment you will receive a letter from Social Security Scotland beforehand.
You should look out for an exact code on your bank statement revealing it is the Winter Heating Payment – "WHP".
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Almost 400,000 received the WHP payment in the winter of 2022/23.
Who is eligible?
The WHP is made to households who were receiving certain benefits during what's known as the "qualifying week".
This year's qualifying week is November 6 to November 12.
So, if you were receiving any of the below benefits between the above dates, you should qualify:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income Related Employment Support Allowance
- Support for Mortgage Interest
You also have to meet one specific requirement of one of the above qualifying benefits.
Further information can be found on the Scottish Government's website.
You can also find a checker tool on its website which tells you if you qualify for the payment.
It will ask you questions about where you live, who you live with, what benefits you receive and when you received your benefits.
If you've not been paid the WHP and think you are eligible, you should contact Social Security Scotland.
You can do this by calling them on 0800 182 2222 or downloading a form off its website from November 13.
What about if I don't live in Scotland?
There's a whole host of help on offer for households outside of Scotland.
The Cold Weather Payment is made to eligible people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
You get £25 for each seven day period where temperatures are zero degrees Celsius or below between November 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
But you can only get the payment if you are on certain benefits, including Pension Credit or Universal Credit. The full list includes:
- Pension credit
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Universal Credit
- Support for mortgage interest
You may also need to meet one or more of these additional criteria:
- Have a disability or be in receipt of pension premium
- Have a child who is disabled
- Be in receipt of child tax credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Have a severe or enhanced disability premium
- Be in receipt of a limited capability for work amount
- Have a child under five living with you
You don't need to apply for the Cold Weather Payment as it is made automatically.
Meanwhile, thousands of households are in line for a Winter Fuel Payment in November and December.
You qualify for the payment if you were born before September 25, 1957, and will receive between £250 and £600.
The amount you get includes a Pensioner Cost of Living payment of between £150 and £300.
In most cases you don't have to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment, but will need to if you haven't received it before.
You also need to apply if you've deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment.
Millions of households are in the process of receiving a £300 cost of living payment as well.
Payments started on October 31 and all should be made by November 19.
You can report it missing to either HMRC or the DWP by November 20.
People on certain benefits qualify for the payment, including:
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- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
The £300 payment is the second of three, with the third expected to land in eligible household's bank accounts before spring next year.
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