Thousands of families across Scotland with a disabled child or young person will receive a one-off payment this winter to help with energy bills. Child Winter Heating Assistance is an annual payment of £214 for youngsters on disability benefits to help with increased costs over the colder months.
The money is paid once a year and the Scottish Government has confirmed that the payment for winter 2022/23 will be £214.10 per eligible child or young person.
Children and young people in Scotland can get the heating assistance payment if they are under 19 years old and in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits during the third full week of September. For the 2022/23 winter payment, the Scottish Government has confirmed this will be between Monday, September 19 to Sunday, September 25.
Qualifying benefits for the £214 payment
Young people under 19 getting one of the following benefits for at least one day during the September qualifying week will receive the payment.
Qualifying benefits:
- Child Disability Payment - highest rate of the care component
- Disability Living Allowance for children - highest rate of the care component
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - enhanced daily living component
- Adult Disability Payment - enhanced rate of the daily living component
Scottish Government guidance states: “If there is more than one child or young person who qualifies in the household, they each get a payment.”
It also clarifies that people do not not need to show receipts or proof of how they spent the money.
If a child or young person gets a qualifying benefit but did not live in Scotland between September 19 and September 25, 2022, they might still qualify if they:
- live in certain European Economic Area (EEA) countries or Switzerland
- can show they have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland
Find out what to do if the child no longer lives in Scotland here.
When will I receive the payment?
Social Security Scotland delivers the benefit and has not yet confirmed when payments will be made this year. Last year’s payments started landing in accounts from the end of November.
Families will receive a letter of confirmation to coincide with the payment being made.
How do I apply?
Payments will be made automatically, so there’s no need to apply. It will be made to the same account where people receive their DLA for Children, Child Disability Payment, PIP or Adult Disability Payment.
For more information, contact Social Security Scotland through web chat on the website here or call the freephone helpline on 0800 182 2222 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
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