Child Winter Heating Payment (Scotland) - Can I get a Child Winter Heating Payment?

You can get a Child Winter Heating Payment if:

• you are under 19
• live in Scotland
• get certain benefits during the qualifying week. 

The qualifying week for winter 2025/26 is Monday 15 September to Sunday 21 September.

You need to be getting an eligible benefit on any one of the days during the qualifying week. 

The eligible benefits include:

• The highest rate of care component of Child Disability Payment (CDP) or Disability Living Allowance for children (DLA)
• The enhanced daily living component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

If there is more than one child or young person who qualifies in your household, each of them will get a payment. 

What if I get awarded a benefit after the qualifying week?

You might still be eligible for a Child Winter Heating Payment if you qualified for one of the benefits above, and it is backdated to a day during the qualifying week.

This can be complex as different benefits have different backdating rules and time limits. It’s a good idea to speak to a welfare benefits specialist if you are making a claim. 

What if I don’t live in Scotland?

If you didn’t live in Scotland during the qualifying week and lived in a certain European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland, you might still be eligible for a Child Winter Heating Payment. 

You must be able to prove a ‘genuine and sufficient link to Scotland’. For example, if you spent a significant part of life in Scotland, or if a family member lives in Scotland.

You are not eligible if you live in Greece, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, France or Malta. 

If you are successful, you might get a back payment for each year that you were eligible. 

What If I was in hospital or care?

If the child or young person usually gets paid one of the eligible benefits, but wasn’t paid between 15 and 21 September due to being in hospital or residential care, they will still be paid automatically.