Four key pension deadlines coming before Xmas – will you qualify for extra payments worth up to £485?

WINTER is fast approaching, and as the days get shorter and the nights get colder, lots of payments are set to kick in to help you keep the heating on.

But to make sure you qualify, you need to be in receipt of certain benefits, and you need to claim these by specific deadlines to get the bonuses.

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There are several key dates to keep an eye on[/caption]

Some of the deadlines have passed for benefits aimed at working-aged people, but they are still open to people who might get Pension Credit because this can be backdated.

Others are still available for people who qualify for benefits aimed both at people of working age and those who are past state retirement age, but you’ll need to move quickly.

We’ve rounded up all the key deadlines you need to be aware of.

November 1 – deadline to get cold weather payments – £25 per week of severely cold weather

The Cold Weather Payments scheme pays Brits £25 for each week of below freezing temperatures between November 1 and March 31.

The bonus is designed to help with the additional costs of heating during these periods of severe cold.

To get the bonus, you need to be in receipt of certain benefits and the temperature needs to drop for seven consecutive days.

Every time that happens, if you qualify, you’ll get the extra money automatically. There’s no deadline as such, but as the payments start kicking in from November 1, you need to apply for the relevant benefits before then to take advantage of the scheme.

Benefits that qualify for cold weather payments include:

Pension Credit

Everyone on Pension Credit should get cold weather payments. You can also backdate your claim by three months.

Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), 

If you have any of the following:

• a disability or pensioner premium
• a child who is disabled
• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
• a child under 5 living with you

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 

You should get CWPs f you’re in a work-related activity or support group. Even if you’re not in a group, you might still get them if you have:

• a severe or enhanced disability premium
• a pensioner premium
• a child who is disabled
• Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
• a child under 5 living with you

Universal credit

If both you are your partner (if you have one) are not employed or “gainfully employed” and:

• you or your partner have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work (with or without work-related activity)
• you have a child under 5 living with you

If you have a disabled child amount in your claim, you should be eligible whether you are employed, self-employed, or not working at all.

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)

You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you’re treated as getting a qualifying benefit where one of the following applies:

• a severe or enhanced disability premium
• a pensioner premium
• you have a child who is disabled
• you get Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
• you have a child under 5 living with you

You’re usually treated as getting a qualifying benefit if you apply for it but do not receive it because your income is too high.

November 10 – deadline to claim Pension Credit to get the warm homes discount – £150

The Warm Homes Discount is a one-off £150 reduction on your energy bills. You might be able to apply it to your gas bill instead, if your supplier provides you with both. 

To get it, you need to be on one of Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, Pension Credit and Universal Credit.

You could also qualify if your household income falls below a certain threshold, and you get either Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit.

The deadline for most people passed in August, but if you are above state pension age and would qualify for Pension Credit – there’s still time to apply.

The deadline for doing so is November 10, which will allow you to backdate your Pension Credit claim far enough to still qualify for the Warm Homes Discount.

You need to get something called the ‘Guarantee Element’ of Pension Credit. To qualify, you must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached State Pension age.

When you apply for Pension Credit your income is calculated, and must be below £218.15 a week or £11,343.80 a year if you’re single.

For couples the thresholds are £332.95 a week or £17,313.40 a year.

Find out how to claim on the gov.uk website.

December 2 – deadline to qualify for the DWP Christmas bonus – £10

The Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free £10 payment made before Christmas, paid to people who get certain benefits in the qualifying week. This year, that’s the week that starts on December 2.

You do not need to claim – you should get paid automatically, but if you think you might qualify for one of the benefits that gets the bonus, you need to be receiving it before that date.

The benefits that qualify for the £10 bonus include:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Carer Support Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
• Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
• Mobility Supplement
• Pension Credit – the guarantee element
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
• Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
• Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
• War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
• War Widow’s Pension
• Widowed Mother’s Allowance
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension

December 21 – deadline to claim Pension Credit to get the winter fuel payment – worth up to £300

The Winter Fuel Allowance gives qualifying Brits over State Pension Age up to £300 to help with the cost of paying for heating bills.

This year, controversially, Labour announced that it would no longer be a universal benefit and would instead only be paid to people who get certain benefits.

For most people, you needed to be in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits by September 22 to get the free cash. But because Pension Credit can be backdated, you’ll still get the winter fuel payment, if you’re receiving it by December 22.

You get £200 if the oldest person in your household is between 66-80, and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over.

It takes between six and eight weeks to process new Pension Credit claims, due to high volumes of applications. But as long as you apply by 21 December and your claim is successful you will get Winter Fuel Payment.

Find out how to claim on the gov.uk website.