Pensioners could get £600 from DWP to help with energy bills – who needs to claim | Personal Finance | Finance
From November 23, the Government started to give out payments between £250 and £600 to more than 11.6 million individuals as part of a £4.5billion support package. Usually, the Winter Fuel Payment is worth up to £300, however this year it has been doubled due to the Pensioner Cost of Living payment. There is not one expected date for when it will be paid and those who are eligible should expect to see it paid to them over the next two months.
However, some people may get or may have already received a letter telling them how much they’ll get and an estimated payment date.
According to the Government, the majority of payments will be made automatically before the New Year between November and December.
Anyone who has not received their Winter Fuel Payment by January 13, 2023 should contact the government’s Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
The payment will appear with a reference starting with the person’s National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’ for people in Great Britain, or ‘DFC WFP’ for people in Northern Ireland.
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To be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, a person must have been born on or before September 25, 1965, and have lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 19 to 25, 2022. This is known as the qualifying week.
Britons who did not live in the UK during the qualifying week can still get the money if they have lived in Switzerland or a European Economic Area country, and have a “sufficient link” to the UK.
According to the Government, a sufficient link is classed as having lived or worked in the UK, or as having a family in the UK.
People do not need to apply if they received the Winter Fuel Payment previously or claim a certain benefit.
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These benefits include things such as state pension, Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance, or Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Other benefits include:
- Carers Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Income Support
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- awards from the War Pensions Scheme
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Industrial Death Benefit.
Individuals who do not receive one of the qualifying benefits will need to claim if they have not had the payment before.
People who have deferred their state pension since the last Winter Fuel Payment may also need to make an application to claim.
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A person will not qualify for the support if they are in hospital receiving free treatment for more than a year.
Those who need permission to enter the UK and their granted leave says they cannot claim public funds will also not get the payment.
The amount someone will receive from the Winter Fuel Allowance payment is dependent on their personal circumstances and a person’s age and who they live with is usually taken into consideration.
For example, someone born before September 25, 1942, and living alone will receive the entire £600 Winter Fuel Payment however if this person lives with someone under 80 who also qualifies they would only receive £350.
The amount someone can receive in their circumstance can be found on GOV.UK.
People who may have not made a claim yet still have time to make one as the deadline to claim for the 2022 to 2023 winter period is March 31, 2023.
People cannot claim a Winter Fuel Payment for previous winters so if they miss the deadline then they will not be able to claim the money.
A person can put in a claim for the payment over the phone, by calling the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. There is also the option to apply via post.
Applicants will need to provide details of their National Insurance number and their bank or building society details.
They may also need to give information about when they got married or entered into a civil partnership and details about the time they spent in a care home from June 27 to September 25, 2022.
