Social Security Scotland has announced that it has now processed all automatic payments of the new annual £50 winter heating bill support. Around 400,000 households are expected to have received the Winter Heating Payment by the end of March, however, in a new post on social media it said that some payments will have to be processed manually.
More than £20 million is being spent by the Scottish Government to provide those on a low income with additional financial support through the Winter Heating Payment, which appears on bank account statements as ‘WHP’. It replaced the £25 Cold Weather Payment delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for people living in Scotland this winter and will rise with inflation to £55.05 in 2024.
People who have not received a letter confirming their payment and think they are eligible, can contact Social Security Scotland to request it. This can be done over the phone or by completing and submitting a Winter Heating Payment request form.
The post on the official Social Security Scotland Twitter account said: “All automatic Winter Heating Payments have been processed and will reach bank accounts by the end of March.
“Some payments have to be processed manually.
“Eligible people will receive a letter to let them know that they are getting the payment.”
If you do not receive a Winter Heating Payment
Request by phone
You can call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 to request Winter Heating Payment. Opening times are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
If you're a British Sign Language user, you can use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video call.
Request by paper form
You can fill out a paper form to request Winter Heating Payment.
You can either:
- download a Winter Heating Payment request form, complete it and send it to Social Security Scotland
- call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 and ask them to send you a Winter Heating Payment request form
The Social Security Scotland Local Delivery service can help you to complete a Winter Heating Payment request form - find out more about this here.
Check if you are eligible for the £50 payment
Your eligibility for Winter Heating Payment is assessed by Social Security Scotland -
They look at:
- what benefits you are receiving
- your circumstances from November 7 to November 13, 2022 – this is known as the 'qualifying week'
Qualifying benefits for £50 Winter Heating Payment
Households on these benefits will be eligible, if they were in receipt of the benefit during the qualifying week:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support for Mortgage Interest
- Qualifying benefits and requirements
Full guidance is available on Scot.Gov here, below is a brief summary.
If you are on Universal Credit and not in employment
Guidance states that you will usually get the £50 Winter Heating Payment if you’re not employed or self-employed and also have one of the following:
- a limited capability for work element
- a limited capability for work element with a work related activity element
- a child or young person disability element
- the disability element of Child Tax Credit
- a child under five-years-old
If you are on Universal Credit and in employment
You should get the £50 Winter Heating Payment if you’re employed or self-employed and have one of the following:
- the child or young person disability element
- the disability element of Child Tax Credit
If you are on Pension Credit
If you were receiving payments through Pension Credit during the qualifying week (November 7-13), you should receive the £50 Winter Heating Payment.
If you are on income based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support
You should get the £50 Winter Heating Payment if you get Income based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support and have any of the following:
- a disability premium
- a severe disability premium
- a pensioner premium
- the disability element of Child Tax Credit
- a child under five-years-old
Or receive child disability premium within:
- Income Support
- Income Based Job Seeker's Allowance
- Income Related Employment Support Allowance
You should get the £50 Winter Heating Payment if you receive Income Related Employment Support Allowance and have any of the following:
- placed in a support group or a work related activity group
- a severe or enhanced disability premium
- a pensioner premium
- the disability element of Child Tax Credit
- a child under five-years-old
If you are getting support for Mortgage Interest
You should get the £25 Winter Heating Payment if you receive Support for Mortgage Interest and have any of the following:
- a disability premium
- a pensioner premium
- a child disability premium
- a child under five-yeas-old
Help with heating bills and cost of living
If you are struggling to heat your home during the colder weather, contact your energy supplier to see what help is available.
You should also contact your local council to find out if you qualify for any additional financial help - the Scottish Government received £79m from the UK Government’s Household support Fund earlier this year and many local councils are offering extra help specifically for heating costs.
Find the website and contact details for your local council here.
To keep up to date with the latest devolved benefits news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, follow us on Twitter @Record_Money, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out Monday to Friday - sign up here.
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