The 2026-27 Cold Weather Payment season began on 1 November 2026 and runs until 31 March 2027. Eligible people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can receive £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather, where the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days. A single frosty morning does not qualify; it is the seven-day average that triggers a payment.

Payments are made automatically into the same bank or building society account as benefit payments, normally within 14 working days of a qualifying period. There is no application form for the scheme itself. People may qualify if they receive Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest, subject to the scheme's detailed conditions. People in Scotland do not get Cold Weather Payments and may instead get an annual Winter Heating Payment.

Check, don't assume

Whether an area triggers a payment depends on the weather station linked to a postcode, so there is no fixed national list of qualifying postcodes. GOV.UK advises checking its official postcode checker for England and Wales, with Northern Ireland running its own checker. The scheme is separate from the Warm Home Discount and from Winter Fuel Payment, and a payment does not affect other benefits.

Other changes from 1 November

The same day brought other changes. London's single adult bus fare rose to £1.85, with the daily bus and tram cap up from £5.25 to £5.55. And as the State Pension age rises from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028, people born between 5 November and 5 December 1960 will claim their free bus pass and State Pension on 5 July 2027, eight months later than at 66. Readers should check the official page for their own circumstances.