Key Winter Fuel Payment dates explained including final deadline to apply and when payments land in bank accounts

STRUGGLING pensioners can now start to apply for up to £300 of cash handed out through the Winter Fuel Payment.

For the first time this year, the benefit will not be universal and only available to people claiming certain support.

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You can now start applying for the Winter Fuel Payment for 2024[/caption]

Previously anyone over State Pension age qualified for the payment designed to soften the pinch of energy bills during the colder months.

Most households do not need to apply for The Winter Fuel Payment and will automatically be paid the cash.

However, a select group of people who are eligible need to apply in order to get the benefit.

If you live in England or Wales and were born before 23 September 1958, you will automatically receive the Winter Fuel Payment if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

However, anyone who lives abroad and qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment will need to apply for it.

You can qualify if you live abroad in certain countries and the following conditions apply:

• You moved to the 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

You will need to claim Winter Fuel Payment even if you have got it before. The payment is not made automatically when you live abroad.

The eligible countries you can live in and claim are:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Postal applications

Anyone living abroad and looking to apply households can now apply via post. Applications opened on September 30. You need to fill in the winter fuel payment claim form and post it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

The form is available at gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim.

The address to post to is:

Winter Fuel Payment Centre
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1ZU
UK

Phone applications

You can also apply for the benefit by phone but not until October 28.

If you think you qualify and want to make an application this way, make a calendar note in your phone.

You will need to phone the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on +44 (0)191 218 7777.

Payment dates

Most payments are made automatically in November or December.

If you qualify, you’ll get a letter telling you:

• How much you’ll get
• Which bank account it will be paid into

Payments are £200 for eligible households or £300 for eligible households where someone is aged over 80.

For those living in England and Wales, the payment will show up in your bank account as your National Insurance (NI) number followed by “DWP WFP”.

For those in Northern Ireland it will show up as the person’s 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.

Deadline for claims

If you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by January 29, 2025,  contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2024 to 2025 is 31 March 2025.

Applying for Pension Credit

You will qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment if you qualify for selected means-tested benefits, most notably Pension Credit.

Hundreds of thousands of households are eligible for this benefit but aren’t claiming and are now set to miss out on the Winter Fuel Payment as a result.

You will need to have been claiming Pension Credit in the ‘qualifying week’ of September 16 to 22, 2024.

However, claims can be backdated by three months meaning you have until December 21 to make a claim and still get the 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.

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, in a personal or workplace pension

This part of the pension credit is worth £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.