The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is urging households to claim up to £475 worth of support in December from three winter benefits.

The cash is available via three separate schemes which include the Winter Fuel Payment, the Warm Home Discount Scheme and Cold Weather Payments, some of which will be paid to households before Christmas. As will all government schemes, there are certain eligibility criteria that must be met to get the payments, but those who qualify for all three could get up to £475 this winter. The DWP has issued a reminder to households about the free support that is available and urged people to check their eligibility for the benefits.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the DWP said: “Three winter benefits you could qualify for. Winter Fuel Payment: an automatic tax-free payment of £100 to £300 for people born before 22 September 1959 to help with heating costs.

“Warm Home Discount: A one-off £150 discount on electricity bills for eligible low-income or vulnerable households. Cold Weather Discount: An automatic £25 payment for those on benefits if temperatures stay below 0C for 7 days. Search ‘winter benefits’ on GOV.UK for more information.”

Listed is a rundown of each of the winter schemes, what you need to do to qualify and how much you could get.

Winter Fuel Payment

Pensioners born before September 22, 1959, who live in England or Wales can get a Winter Fuel Payment worth between £100 and £300. The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances during the qualifying week between September 15 and 21, 2025.

The DWP has confirmed that payments are now automatically being sent to eligible households from now until the end of December.

According to the DWP, the vast majority of pensioners should see their Winter Fuel Payment land in their bank account by mid-December and they can spot it by looking for the six-letter code “DWP WFP”.

Warm Home Discount

The DWP’s Warm Home Discount Scheme reopened in October and provides eligible households with a one-off £150 discount off their electricity bill.

There are different ways to qualify for the scheme depending on where you live, but it is available to households in England, Wales and Scotland. Households in England or Wales will qualify for the £150 discount in 2025/26 if they are the named bill payer on their energy bill, and receive any of the following means-tested benefits:

• Housing Benefit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
  

If you live in England or Wales, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill automatically. If you live in Scotland, energy suppliers set the criteria for the scheme so households should contact their supplier to check if they are eligible.

Those who are eligible will receive the discount between October 2025 and March 2026, so it’s possible it will arrive before Christmas.

Cold Weather Payment

If the temperature where you live drops to 0C or below for seven consecutive days, you’ll be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment. This is automatic if you’re on an eligible benefit such as Pension Credit, Income Support or Universal Credit.

The DWP will issue the payment to eligible households between November 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, so it’s possible to receive a payment before Christmas if temperatures are low enough.