Four DWP deadlines before Christmas which could cost people free £485 each

As the Cost of Living crisis continues, UK households can capitalise on four payments from the Department for Work and Pensions worth £485.

Four key pension deadlines coming before Christmas - with extra payments worth up to £485 - have been revealed. As the Cost of Living crisis continues, UK households can capitalise on four payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) worth £485.

Among the first of the four payments is the Cold Weather Payments. If you’re eligible to get Cold Weather Payments, you’ll get £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The 2023 to 2024 Cold Weather Payment scheme has now ended. The 2024 to 2025 scheme will start on 1 November 2024. You’ll be able to check if your area is due a payment in November 2024. After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days.

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It’s paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.

Cold Weather Payments - November 1

You'll get a £25 payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days. You'll get £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Deadline to claim Pension Credit to get the Warm Home Discount - November 1

The deadline for most people passed in August, but if you are above state pension age and would qualify for Pension Credit then there’s still time to apply. The deadline for doing so is November 10, which will allow you to backdate your Pension Credit claim far enough to still qualify for the Warm Homes Discount.

You qualify for the discount if on 13 August 2023 all of the following applied:

• your energy supplier is part of the scheme
• your name (or your partner’s) is on the electricity bill
• you or your partner are getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit as well)

This is known as being in the ‘core group 1’ in England and Wales. In Scotland, it is the ‘core group’.

If you do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, you may still be eligible if you’re:

Deadline to qualify for the DWP Christmas bonus - December 2

To receive the £10 Christmas Bonus from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), you need to be present or living in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or Gibraltar during the designated “qualifying week.” For 2024, this period is from December 2 to December 8.

Some UK residents living in or planning to move to a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland may also qualify for certain benefits. To receive the Christmas Bonus, you must be getting at least one qualifying benefit during this period, usually the first full week of December.

Deadline to claim Pension Credit to get the winter fuel payment - December 21

The current Labour Party government Pension Credit awareness drive will help identify households not claiming the £300 benefit, and encourage pensioners to apply by 21 December 2024, the last date for making a backdated claim for Pension Credit, in order to receive the Winter Fuel Payment.