Child Winter Heating Assistance

You do not need to apply for the payment if the child currently lives in Scotland. If the child or young person is eligible, you'll be paid automatically into the same account that their Disability Living Allowance for children, Child Disability Payment or Personal Independence Payment is paid into.  

You'll get a letter from Social Security Scotland before they make the payment. Payments are usually made from the end of November onwards.  

If you think you should get Child Winter Heating Assistance but you’ve not had a letter, contact Social Security Scotland.

If the child or young person usually gets one of the qualifying benefits but this was not being paid during the qualifying period in September, they might still be entitled to Child Winter Heating Assistance. It depends on why payments were not being made that week.

If this was because the child or young person was staying in residential care or was in hospital, they can still get Child Winter Heating Assistance. They’ll get an automatic payment. 

If the qualifying benefit was not paid for any other reason, you’ll get a letter telling you that the child or young person does not qualify for Child Winter Heating Assistance. The letter will include details of how to ask Social Security Scotland to look at their decision again. 

To contact Social Security Scotland:

Tel: 0800 182 2222.  

Text Relay Service: 18001 +0300 244 4000 (for hard of hearing people)

British Sign Language users: contactscotland-bsl.org/device-direct/

Find out about other ways of contacting Social Security here.