HELPING HAND
Final date £300 Winter Fuel payment will be made confirmed by DWP
We reveal the exact code to look out for to check you've been paid
THE Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed the final date households should receive the £300 Winter Fuel Payment.
The Winter Fuel Payment was previously available to everyone aged 66 and above, the current State Pension age.
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But in July the Government announced the payment would become means-tested meaning only those on certain benefits are eligible.
This includes those on income support, tax credits and Universal Credit, but also Pension Credit.
From November, eligible households will receive automatic payments of up to £300.
Payments will then continue to be made throughout December.
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Those who are eligible should have either received a letter, or should get one in the coming month, telling them how much they will be paid.
It will also explain which bank account the payment will be paid into - this is usually the same account as where Pension Credit or other benefits are usually paid.
The DWP has advised all those eligible for the cash to expect it to enter their bank accounts by January 29 at the latest.
If the payment does not come through, pensioners are advised to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre online or by telephone.
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When you contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre you will need to provide your name, address, date of birth and NI number.
Eligible pensioners should look out for a specific code to double check that the money has been sent.
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For those in England and Wales, the payment will appear as the customer's National Insurance (NI) number followed by "DWP WFP".
Whereas those in Northern Ireland should look for their NI number followed by "DFC WFP".
So, if you live in England and your NI number is QQ123456B the payment would show up as QQ123456B DWP WFP.
You should check for this code before consulting DWP.
If you don't think your winter fuel payment has come through, check for this code in your bank statement before consulting the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
And if you haven't yet checked whether you meet the new criteria for the payment, make sure you're up to date and know how much you're be expecting.
What is the Winter Fuel Payment?
Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains all you need to know about the payment.
The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help cover the cost of heating through the colder months.
Most who are eligible receive the payment automatically.
Those who qualify are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.
If you do meet the criteria but don't automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you will have to on the government's website.
You'll qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment this winter if:
- you were born on or before September 23, 1958
- you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known as the "qualifying week"
- you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit
If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both the following apply:
- you live in Switzerland or a EEA country
- you have a "genuine and sufficient" link with the UK social security system, such as having lived or worked in the UK and having a family in the UK
But there are exclusions - you can’t get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain.
This is because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.
You will also not qualify if you:
- are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you can not claim public funds
- were in prison for the whole "qualifying week"
- lived in a care home for the whole time between 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Payments are usually made between November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.
Pensioners who are worried about missing out on the payment this winter can seek support from a long list of schemes - which will also be detailed at the end of this article.
What is the winter fuel payment and who is eligible?
The winter fuel payment is issued to state pensioners on certain benefits to help cover the cost of hiked up energy bills over the colder months.
This is because households tend to use more energy for heating as temperatures drop.
The payment, which is made in November or December, is automatic meaning you don't need to apply.
Those on Universal Credit with a joint claim where one member was over the state pension age previously had to apply to get the payment.
To automatically qualify this year, you need to be of state pension age and in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
You must have an active claim for these benefits during the "qualifying week" which is from September 16 to 22 this year.
You only need to apply this year if:
- you moved to an eligible country before January 1, 2021
- you were born before September 23, 1958
- you have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK and having family in the UK
Households can claim by phone from October 28 via the number 0800 731 0160.
They have until March 31, 2025 to do this.
Or to claim by post, you'll need to fill in the winter fuel payment claim form and post it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
This is available at www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim.
More energy help for pensioners
In response to the government's slash to the winter fuel payments, Octopus Energy has launched a scheme offering discretionary credit of between £50 and £200 to pensioners.
British Gas has also set aside over £140 million this winter for its Individual and Families Support Fund.
And Scottish Power's Hardship Fund has handed out more than £60 million to its struggling customers.
To find out what you can get, check the offers from your own supplier first by going to their website or asking someone on the phone.
Most schemes are exclusive to customers, but the British Gas Individual and Families fund is available to everyone if your own supplier can't help.
Help can also be accessed from your local council via the Household Support Fund, which has renewed a fresh pot of £421 million finding for vulnerable households.
To find out if you are eligible, go to your council's website and read over the conditions of the scheme.
If you're just looking for simple ways to reduce your bill this winter, each of these supplier schemes, as well as the Household Support Fund also offer free electric blankets as part of their deal.
For example, Octopus have said they will distribute 20,000 electric blankets from Dreamland to its most vulnerable customers, keeping them warm for "as little as 3p an hour".
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The "heat yourself not your home" approach is trending fast, with retailers such as B&M introducing ranges of affordable self-heating appliances.
However, it is important to note that the elderly should not avoid turning the heating on if they are cold - for energy help contact your provider or local council, or read our article here.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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