The Department for Work and Pensions is planning to issue specific payments including £100s to households that are eligible for certain benefits, altogether the money on offer is over £1,000
As the weather starts to turn, many people have started thinking about the run up to the festive period.
This can be a tough time for people struggling with finances but some help may be at hand with government assistance available in the run-up to Christmas.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is planning to issue specific payments including £100s to households that are eligible for certain benefits. There are also other schemes that affect the public.
Schemes like the Household Support Fund, the Warm Home Discount and the Winter Fuel Payment will provide a much-needed financial boost to households this winter. There are also things like the Cold Weather Payments and the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Christmas Bonus.
If each payment comes in before the end of the year, anyone eligible for all of these benefits could stand to get as much as £1,085. Check the rundown of available benefits below.
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Household Support Fund: £130 – £600
Designed to support those most in need during the rising cost of living, the Household Support Fund (HSF) will run from April 2025 to March 2026. The fund gives money to local councils which then use the funds to help vulnerable households with essentials and other living costs.
Criteria differ between council areas but if you qualify you could receive support up to £600 in some parts of the UK – just take a look at your local council’s website to find out.
More than £740 million has been made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support vulnerable households. The fund is designed to give financial assistance to low-income families, allowing them to use the funds for groceries, bills, or other necessary items, particularly to those who may not qualify for other types of government support.
Warm Home Discount: £150
The Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme provides qualifying people a one-time £150 discount on your electricity bill. This money is paid to electricity providers, who apply the discount directly to your bill, so you won’t see any cash.
Typically, if you’re eligible, the discount will be applied automatically. The WHD scheme for winter 2025/2026 is set to begin across England, Wales and Scotland in the coming months. The one-off £150 discount will be applied between November 2025 and March 31, 2026, at the latest.
Winter Fuel Payment: £200 – £300
This season’s Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales is set at £200 for households with someone between the State Pension age and 79 and £300 for those with a member aged 80 or older.
This payment is designated for people born on or before September 21, 1959, and recipients can expect to receive a letter in October or November that’ll tell them if they’re eligible and their payment details. If your income is over £35,000, HMRC may recover the payment through the tax system.
DWP Christmas Bonus: £10
This one-time, tax-free payment will be automatically credited to recipients who are e eligible for specific benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The one-time, tax-free £10 payment will be automatically credited to recipients in the first week of December and will appear on bank statements as ‘DWP XB’.
To be eligible, you need to have been receiving a qualifying benefit during the qualifying week in December.If you think you qualify but haven’t gotten the payment by January 1, 2025, reach out to the Jobcentre Plus office that manages your benefits or the Pension Service.
Cold Weather Payments: £25
You can get a Cold Weather Payment of £25 for every seven-day stretch when the average temperature in your area hits 0C or lower, or is predicted to do so, from November 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
The benefits are usually paid automatically to people on benefits like Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and other qualifying benefits. To see if you qualify at any given time, you can it the GOV.UK website, enter your postcode to see if your local weather station has recorded or is forecasting 0C or below for seven consecutive days. If you claim Universal Credit, you can check your online journal for updates.
