There are now twelve areas in Northern Ireland where people are eligible for cold weather payments after the Department for Communities announced four new postcodes were eligible.
Until Friday, January 10, eight postcodes were deemed to have experienced temperatures low enough for seven consecutive days for the payments to be made.
They were in the Katesbridge area (BT24 to BT26 and BT30 to BT34) where below freezing temperatures were experienced from January 4 to January 10.
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The Department for Communities has now announced that four more postcodes have had low enough temperatures to be eligible for the payment – in the Castlederg area (BT78, BT79, BT81 and BT82) over the January 3 to 9 period.
While all of Northern Ireland has been impacted by icy conditions and some areas have had to deal with snow, not everywhere has been deemed eligible for cold weather payments due to the criteria.
This means that even though there has been snow in certain areas, temperatures have not been cold enough for long enough to receive the payment.
Following the recent cold spell in Northern Ireland, people in eight areas are able to receive the payments which are;
- BT30 – Downpatrick
- BT24- Ballynahinch
- BT33 – Newcastle
- BT31- Castlewellan
- BT26 – Hillsborough
- BT25 – Dromore
- BT32- Banbridge
- BT34- Newry
- BT78 – Omagh
- BT79 – Omagh
- BT81 – Castlederg
- BT82 – Strabane
The payments should be made to those who are eligible within 14 days of the cold weather period, and it is paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments. Cold Weather Payments do not affect your other benefits.
You may get Cold Weather Payments if you’re getting:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based)
- Employment and Support Allowance (income-related)
- Universal Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest
If you do not receive a cold weather payment when you are eligible for one you need to tell the Northern Ireland Pension Centre or your local Jobs and Benefits office if you think you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but you have not.
If you’re getting Universal Credit, sign in to your account(external link opens in a new window / tab) and add a note to your journal.
If you do not have an online account, ring the Universal Credit helpline instead. The phone number is on letters about your Universal Credit claim.
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