Thousands of children and young people across Scotland will receive a one-off payment of £251.50 later this year to help cover the cost of bills during the winter months.
The Child Winter Heating Payment is a devolved payment designed to help families with disabled youngsters cover the cost of higher costs.
This year’s payment is a £15.80 increase on last year’s payment which was received by an estimated 29,000 families.
What is the Child Winter Heating Payment?
The Child Winter Heating Payment is a benefit from the Scottish Government.
Previously known as Child Winter Heating Assistance, it was first introduced in 2020.
The benefit is designed to help disabled young people and their families with increased heating costs over the winter.
With that in mind, the payment is made once a year. This year, recipients will receive £251.50.
The payment is per child or payment, not per household, which means that two people living at the one address could benefit from the money.
Who is entitled to the Child Winter Heating Payment?
The Child Winter Heating Payment is a devolved benefit. That means it’s only available to people in Scotland.
Children and young people in Scotland can get support if they’re under 19 years old and receive one of the benefits below:
- the highest rate of the care component of Child Disability Payment
- the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance for children
- the enhanced daily living component of Personal Independence Payment
- the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment
They must be getting this on a at least one day in the third full week of September. In 2024, that means between Monday 16 September to Sunday 22 September.
A child or young person may also be entitled to the payment if they receive a qualifying benefit but won’t live in Scotland between 16-22 September as long as:
- they live in certain European Economic Area (EAA) countries or Switzerland
- they can show they have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland
If there’s more than one child or young person who qualifies in the household, they’ll each get a payment.
You’ll also not be asked to show receipts or proof off how you spend the money.
What if the qualifying benefit wasn’t being paid?
If the child or young person typically gets one of the qualifying benefits but doesn’t on between 16-22 September this year, they might still be entitled to the payment.
If their benefit isn’t paid because they have stayed in residential care or have been in hospital, they’ll still get automatic payment.
However, if their benefit isn’t paid for any other reason, you’ll be sent a letter explaining that they don’t qualify for the Child Winter Heating Payment.
If this happens and you believe that your child should still be entitled, the letter will detail how to ask Social Security Scotland to review their decision.
When will the benefit be paid?
Each year the payment is made by Social Security Scotland.
No date has been confirmed for this year, however, 2023 payments were issued in November.
It’ll be paid automatically into the same account where the qualifying benefit is paid into.
You should receive a letter letting you know when to expect payment in the coming months.
Can I apply for the Child Winter Heating Payment?
If a child or young person receives any of the qualifying benefits, there’s no need to apply for the Child Winter Heating Payment separately.
As mentioned, you’ll be sent a letter about the payment nearer the time along with a confirmation of the payment date.
For more information about the Child Winter Heating Payment, including eligibility criteria, click here.
