People on PIP, ADP or DLA due one-off £255 payment before end of this year
The annual heating payment for young disabled people usually starts landing in bank accounts at the end of October.
How to apply for a Blue Badge
Social Security Scotland recently confirmed over 37,000 disabled children and young people received a one-off payment of £235.70 over the winter months to help cover the costs of higher energy bills.
The Child Winter Heating Payment is unique to Scotland and issued to youngsters under the age of 19 in receipt of the higher daily living component rate of Child Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (Child).
The Scottish Government confirmed last month that the annual payment will rise by 1.7 per cent this year to £255.80, an increase of £20.10. It's important to be aware all PIP claimants living in Scotland will transfer from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Adult Disability Payment (ADP) over the coming weeks, but as there are 35,420 existing claimants at time of writing, this information may be useful to them.
To be eligible for the payment - which usually starts landing in bank accounts from the end of October - individuals need to have been in claim for one of the benefits mentioned above during the qualifying week, which will be the third week of September (to be confirmed).
Other key points about the automatic payment:
The £255.80 payment is per child or young person - not per household
If there is more than one child or young person who qualifies in the household, they each get a payment
If someone is awarded a backdated payment for one of the qualifying benefits which falls within the eligibility week in September, they will also receive the payment
The money is paid into the same account where the qualifying benefit is paid into
Nobody on a qualifying benefit needs to apply separately to get the payment, however, in certain circumstances some people may need to apply - find out more about this here.
Eligibility for the winter 2025/26 payment
Children and young people in Scotland can get the heating payment if they are under 19-years-old and were claiming one of the qualifying benefits during the qualifying week in September (to be confirmed later this year).
Qualifying benefits for Child Winter Heating Payment
Young people under 19 getting one of the following benefits for at least one day during the September qualifying week will receive the £255.80 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. Just be aware nobody in Scotland should still be on PIP after this spring and is included here for existing clamant information only
Adult Disability Payment - enhanced rate of the daily living component
Scottish Government guidance also clarifies 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 does not live in Scotland during the September qualifying week, 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 payments be made?
Social Security Scotland delivers the benefit and automatic payments usually start landing in bank accounts from the end of October, however, these are issued in batches and will continue until February 2026.
How do I apply?
Payments will be made to most people 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, ADP or PIP (which is set to end this spring).
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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