All the one-off payments being made before the end of the year including families and people over State Pension age

WITH the cost of living still high, it’s important to find out if you’re missing out on any free cash.

There are several one-off payments still due before the end of the year, whether you have children or are over the state pension age – providing you are in receipt of the qualifying benefits.

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You could be entitled to a one-off payment between now and the end of the year[/caption]

Here are all the one-off payments that are due before the end of the year.

Household Support Fund – £100s

You can still access support to help with the cost of living via the Household Support Fund.

The money is distributed from a pot worth £421 million by the Department for Work and Pensions.

But what you’re able to access depends on whereabouts you live, your financial situation and the benefits you are entitled to.

The money will either be given to you as a direct cash transfer or shopping vouchers.

For example, households in Leicestershire can apply for a financial award of £300 per household, which will be paid in the form of vouchers to support with gas, electricity and food.

To get the help, you’ll need to look it up with your council because local authorities are the ones responsible for distributing the funding.

To find your local council, use the gov.uk council finder tool.

Winter Fuel payment – up to £300

The Winter Fuel Payment is made every year to help cover the cost of energy over the colder months.

The cash boost, worth up to £300, is usually paid in November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.

If you haven’t got your payment by then, you need to call the office that pays your benefits.

Households eligible for the payment are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.

If you do meet the criteria, but don’t automatically get the winter fuel payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.

You’ll qualify for a winter fuel payment this winter if the following apply:

• you were born on or before September 23, 1958
• you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, in what is known as the “qualifying week”
• you receive Pension Credit

The Child Winter Heating Assistance – £250

If you’re based in Scotland, you could be eligible to receive a child winter heating assistance payment of £251.50.

You get child winter heating payment for a child or young person under 19 who lives in Scotland and who is entitled to:

• the highest rate of the care component of child disability payment (CDP) or disability living allowance (DLA), or
• the enhanced rate of the daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) or personal independence payment (PIP).

They must be entitled to the relevant disability benefit during the ‘qualifying week’, which is the week beginning on the third Monday in September (16 to 22 September in 2024).

You do not have to make a claim for the payment, but it should be paid by Social Security Scotland, usually in November. 

If you think you’re entitled but have not received payment by the end of December, you should contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.

Warm Home Discount – £150

The Warm Home Discount is an automatic £150 discount off energy bills, and payments began in October last year.

Because the money is a discount, there is no money paid to you, but you get the payment automatically if your electricity supplier is part of the scheme and you qualify.

You’ll also have to be in receipt of one of the following benefits to qualify for one of the payments:

• Income support
• Income based jobseeker’s allowance
• Income related employment and support allowance
• Housing benefit
• Universal credit
• Child tax credit
• Working tax credits
• Pension credit guaranteed
• Pension credit savings credit

If you don’t claim any of the above benefits, you won’t be eligible for the payment.

Cold Weather payment – £25 a day

Cold weather payments are dished out when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below, on average, for seven consecutive days.

When temperatures drop between November 1 and March 31, eligible Brits are entitled to extra money to heat their homes.

You get £25 for each seven-day period where the weather is below zero Celsius on average during this time frame.

You can check if your area has had a cold weather payment by popping your postcode into the government’s tool on its website.

You’ll need to be on certain benefits to qualify, which are:

• Pension credit
• Income support
• Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Universal Credit
• Support for mortgage interest

Cold Weather payments are issued between November 1 and March 31 every year.

Those in Scotland don’t get cold weather payments but may be able to receive a winter heating payment instead.

DWP Christmas bonus – £10

Thousands of households on benefits will receive a tax-free £10 cash boost from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The tax-free £10 payment will be paid to eligible households between December 4 and December 11.

To qualify for the payment you must be present or “ordinarily resident” in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the first full week between December 4 and 10.

Households will also need to claim at least one of the 20 qualifying benefits within the same period.

The bonus isn’t available to those who receive Universal Credit only but someone on Universal Credit who also receives one of the qualifying benefits will receive it.

To claim your part of the Christmas cash, you’ll need to be claiming at least one of the following DWP’s benefits:

• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

If you’re part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or live together, you’ll both get the cash bonus – as long as you both are eligible.

If you or your partner do not get one of the above qualifying benefits, then they could still get the bonus if they are over the state pension age by the end of the qualifying week.

Student maintenance payments loans – varies

Student maintenance loans are paid to university students to help cover living costs such as rent.

They are usually paid at the start of each new term, so you typically receive three payments a year.

The amount you will receive depends on where in the UK you’re from, whether you’ll be living at home or not, your household income and how long you’re studying for.

The average maintenance loan is approximately £6,116 a year

Students going back to uni in the 2024/25 academic year should receive their first loan in September or October.

The remaining two are usually paid in January and April 2025.