Cold Weather Payments / Help with Heating ( 9.12.0.L4 )

LOCAL INFORMATION

9.12.0.L4

Cold Weather Payments

Extent:      Jersey

Updated:   October 2017

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Words you may need to know

In arrears - payment made after something has happened  eg a Cold Weather payment paid in January because of the weather in December

Eligible – you are able to apply for something, you qualify to apply.

Entitled – you are able to get something

Household – is defined as in Income Support: can be any of the following: one person living alone; a couple (married, unmarried or civil partners); a family living together at the same address with children under school leaving age or still in full time education

There are two separate payments that can be made by the Social Security Department to assist with the cost of heating your home.

See:   https://www.gov.je/home/severeweather/pages/helpheatinginsulation.aspx

-          The Cold Weather Bonus is a ‘pensioner’ payment. It is available to help pensioners who qualify with the cost of heating during the winter months of October – April.

-          The Income Support-Special Payments [Cold Weather Payments] Jersey Regulations 2008 the Social Security Department to make a special payment to help people on income support with their heating bills for each of the months from October until April.

Note:
- There are different conditions that you must satisfy to be eligible for these benefits.

-   They are calculated and paid differently

-   You cannot get both at the same time

The Cold Weather Bonus

The payments are made when the weather drops below a certain temperature.

For full details and downloadable application form see:

https://www.gov.je/Benefits/Allowances/Pages/FoodCostsBonus.aspx

Before you can claim the Cold Weather Bonus you must –

-          be eligible to apply for the Foods Cost Bonus ( see website above – certain residency requirements and income levels must be met ) PLUS

-          on the first day of the cold weather month your household must include an adult who
-    is 65 or above and
-    is either receiving a Jersey old age pension or
-    or has 10 years' continuous residency before making the application

-           you or your spouse / partner must own your own home or be responsible for a lease

-          No adult in the household should have received a Cold Weather payment from Income Support during the cold weather month.

Cold Weather Bonus payments are made in arrears for the previous period in January and May each year.

For details of the amount of recent Cold Weather Bonus payments see the website.

Cold Weather Payment – Income Support

For full details see:

https://www.gov.je/benefits/incomesupport/pages/components.aspx#anchor-6 

Cold weather payments will be made between November and May if the temperature drops below a certain level. The amount can be different each month as it will depend on how cold the weather was during the month.

The payment is made to any household receiving Income Support that also includes:

-          someone over 65 years old or

-          a child under the age of three or

-          someone with a significant disability

The payments are made automatically and are paid in the same way as regular Income Support payments. There is no need to apply for them separately.

Only one special payment can be made for a dwelling. If more than one household entitled to a payment shares the dwelling, the payment is split equally between the entitled households.

Note:

If you are just above the level of income to receive Income Support, but you do not pay tax, you may qualify for the Cold Weather Bonus. (see above for details)

For further information contact the  Social Security Department

PO Box 55

Philip Le Feuvre House

La Motte Street

St Helier

JE4 8PE

Open:     8.30am - 5pm    Monday - Friday

Telephone :    01534  445505

Fax :               01534  445525

Email:   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.