Energy support payment worth £55 to be paid into bank accounts over next few weeks

The payment is called the Winter Heating Payment and is paid to people claiming certain DWP benefits each winter to help with higher energy costs

Around 400,000 people will receive a one off payment of £55 to help with energy bills over the next few weeks.

The money will be paid out by Social Security Scotland which is the Scottish equivalent to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The payment is called the Winter Heating Payment and is only available in Scotland and replaces the DWP's Cold Weather Payment which pays £25 when temperatures drop below zero degrees. Unlike the DWP benefit, it is not dependent on periods of freezing weather but is a yearly payment made no matter the temperature.

The Winter Heating Payment is a devolved benefit and is worth £55.05. It is automatically paid to households on low incomes claiming certain benefits during the winter months. To be eligible for the payment, you will have needed to have been claiming one of the qualifying benefits during the qualifying week. This year the qualifying week was Monday, November 6 until Sunday, November 12.

The majority of people eligible for the money will have received a letter from Social Security Scotland telling them they are eligible. The payment is automatic so there is no need to apply for the cash. According to Social Security Scotland, this year's payments will be made between the middle of December and the end of January 2024. This means those eligible for the cash will receive it over the coming weeks.

The money will be paid into the bank account where you receive your qualifying benefit and will have the reference code of "WHP".

The qualifying benefits for the Winter Heating Payment include:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income Related Employment Support Allowance
• Support for Mortgage Interest

However, it's important to be aware that just claiming the benefit may not make you eligible as there are other factors too. If you are claiming Universal Credit and are not working, you will only be eligible for the money if you get the limited capability for work element or the limited capability for work element with a work related activity element. If you don't get those you will be eligible if you receive the child or young person's disability element or have a child under 5 years old.

If you are employed and claiming Universal Credit, then you will usually get the Heating payment if you get the child or young person disability element. You can find the full details about the payment and who exactly gets them on the MYGOV.SCOT website here.