DWP issues six-digit code which means you'll wake up to free £25 in bank account

The exact code that will appear on your bank statement when you get a Cold Weather Payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has emerged. The Department of Work and Pensions is handing out the free cash which applies to 18 England postcodes.

It aims to help households battling the cold and struggling to keep costs down amid soaring energy prices. This can be paid directly into your bank account if household bill-payers claim within 14 days. The payment applies to households in areas where temperatures are continuously below-zero.

During each seven-day-period of such weather, residents can get £25 from now until the end of March. The money appears in bank statements as the person's National Insurance number, followed by "DWP CWP" for those in England and Wales.

READ MORE UK set for new snow bomb which will 'explode' this weekend with 9 inches dumped

Those living in Northern Ireland will see the payment under "SSA CWP". Areas that qualify for a single £25 and those eligible for two payments worth £50 have been listed according to postcode. Cold Weather Payments started again on November 1 and will run until March 31, 2023.

The Government uses weather stations in England and Wales to determine when a Cold Weather Payment has been triggered. You can check if you are due a payment in your area by looking up your postcode. If you've not received a Cold Weather Payment and you think you're eligible, you should contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus.

You could get a Cold Weather Payment if the temperature drops and you're receiving Pension Credit, Income Support (if you have any of the following: a disability or pensioner premium, a child who is disabled, Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or a child under five living with you) or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (if you have any of the following: a disability or pensioner premium, a child who is disabled, Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or a child under five living with you).

Other qualifying criteria are Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (if you have any of the following: a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a child who is disabled, Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or a child under five living with you) and Universal Credit (if you are not employed or self-employed, and you have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work, or you have a child under five living with you) and Support for Mortgage Interest (if you have any of the following: a severe or enhanced disability premium, a pensioner premium, a child who is disabled, Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element or a child under five living with you).