THOUSANDS of households will be able to apply for this year’s Winter Fuel Payment in weeks.
In a fresh update, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed when it will release the claim form for this year’s scheme, The Sun can reveal.
1
The claims form allows certain eligible households to apply for the winter fuel payment by post.
This will now become available to households visiting the government website on Monday, September 16.
Additionally, the DWP has confirmed that those wishing to apply for support by phone can do so from Thursday, October 10.
However, it’s important to recognise that not everyone will need to apply for the winter fuel payment.
It comes after cuts made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves mean that 10million pensioners will no longer be eligible for benefit worth up to £300 this winter.
The £300 government handout was previously available to everyone aged above 66 and helped with pricey energy costs.
However, the cash is now only be given to retirees on pension credit, or other means-tested benefits including:
- Income support
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance
- Income-related employment support allowance
- Universal Credit
To qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment, you must have been claiming pension credit or any of the benefits listed above during the qualifying week.
This will take place between September 16 and 22.
Most households will receive the winter fuel payment automatically and won’t need to apply.
However, those who have a joint claim to Universal Credit where one member is over the state pension age will need to.
To claim by post, you’ll need to fill in the winter fuel payment claim form.
This will be available at www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim from September 16.
Households will also be able to claim by phone, and the DWP will release the helpline number online on October 10.
The deadline to claim for this winter is March 31, 2025.
HOW MUCH YOU’LL GET
Payments last year were worth between £300 and £600, depending on your specific circumstances.
This is because the amount included a “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” – between £150 and £300.
However, this year, it will be worth £200 for eligible households or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80.
That means you could receive up to £300 in free cash depending on your circumstances.
Most payments are made automatically in November or December.
You’ll get a letter telling you:
- How much you’ll get
- Which bank account it will be paid into
If you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by January 29, 2025, you must contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160.
AVOID MISSING OUT
Over 800,000 households are eligible for pension credit but aren’t claiming the benefit.
This also means they risk missing out on this year’s winter fuel payment.
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.
This is known as “guarantee credit”.
If your income is lower than this, you’re very likely to be eligible for the benefit.
However, if your income is slightly higher, you might still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.
You could get an extra £81.50 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:
- Attendance allowance
- The middle or highest rate from the care component of disability living allowance (DLA)
- The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
- Armed forces independence payment
- The daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate.
You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:
- You reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016
- You saved some money for retirement, for example, a personal or workplace pension
This part of pension credit is worth £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.
It’s wise to put in an application as soon as possible, as the DWP can take up to two months to process new claims.
However, new claims for pension credit can be backdated by three months.
This means that the absolute deadline to claim the benefit and qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment is December 21.
If you fail to apply for the benefit before this date, you won’t qualify for this year’s £300 winter fuel payment.
How do I apply for pension credit?
YOU can start your application up to four months before you reach state pension age.
Applications for pension credit can be made on the government website or by ringing the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you’ll need to be with them when they do.
You’ll need the following information about you and your partner if you have one:
- National Insurance number
- Information about any income, savings and investments you have
- Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually three months ago or the date you reached state pension age)
You can also check your eligibility online by visiting www.gov.uk/pension-credit first.
If you claim after you reach pension age, you can backdate your claim for up to three months.
