Winter Fuel Payments used to be available to every household where someone is over state pension age – but the rules have changed so you now need to be in receipt of means-tested benefits
Pensioners who are due a Winter Fuel Payment should keep an eye out for a particular code in their bank account.
Winter Fuel Payments are worth up to £300, depending on your circumstances. They used to be available to every household where someone is over state pension age – but the rules have changed so you now need to be in receipt of means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit.
If you’re due a payment and you live in England and Wales, the payment will show in your bank account as your National Insurance number followed by “DWP WFP”. Those living in Northern Ireland should see their National Insurance number followed by “DFC WFP”.
In order to be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, you must have been born before September 23, 1958 and in receipt of one of these benefits between September 16 to September 22, 2024:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
You may still be eligible if you’re able to backdate a benefit claim at a later date. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed Pension Credit claims can be backdated by three months, which means you have until December 21 to apply and still be entitled to Winter Fuel Payments. The list of eligible benefits are:
You won’t be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment if you lived in a care home for the whole time from June 24 to September 22, 2024. You can still be eligible if you live in a care home on a temporary basis, which is less than 13 weeks by the end of the qualifying period.
You also won’t be eligible if you’ve been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year, if you needed permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public funds, or if you are in prison for the whole of the week of September 16 to September 22, 2024.
If you’re due to receive this payment, the DWP has confirmed you can expect to get a letter in the post in October or November. Most people are then paid in November or December. You’ll normally get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically – which means you shouldn’t need to apply for it. We’ve explained how much Winter Fuel Payment you could receive this year.
The Labour Government says the controversial move to change the eligibility of Winter Fuel Payments is necessary to help plug a £22billion black hole left by the Tories. Rachel Reeves told MPs: “Let me be clear, this is not a decision I wanted to make, nor is it the one that I expected to make, but these are the necessary and urgent decisions that I must make.”
But concerned charities have warned the decision could mean some vulnerable pensioners won’t be able to afford to heat their homes. Gillian Cooper, Director of Energy Policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Millions of households on low incomes face living in a cold home this winter, with many forced to make the impossible choice between heating or eating.“
