Winter Fuel Payments worth up to £300 to start landing in 1.3million bank accounts NOW – exact code to spot
HUNDREDS of thousands of pensioner households have started being paid Winter Fuel Payments worth up to £300.
The government has confirmed the free cash grant begun landing in bank accounts yesterday, November 25.
Overall, 1.3million vulnerable households across England and Wales will receive the money to help with energy bills.
You should look out for an exact code in your bank statement if you’re in line for a payment – your National Insurance (NI) number followed by “DWP WFP”.
You will get either £200 or £300 depending on how old you are.
Those born between September 23, 1944, and September 22, 1958, will receive £200 while those born before September 23, 1944, will get £300.
The vast majority of payments should land in bank accounts automatically over the coming months.
Who is eligible for Winter Fuel Payments?
In previous years, Winter Fuel Payments have been made to anyone of state pension age or older.
This year, the government has made the annual payment means-tested meaning you only qualify if you’re on certain benefits.
You must get one of the following:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
You will need to have been receiving one of the above benefits during what’s known as the “qualifying week” – September 16 to 22 – to be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment this year.
The government is urging those eligible for Pension Credit but not already claiming to put in a claim before December 21.
This is because you can backdate Pension Credit claims by up to three months meaning if you claim by December 21 you will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.
You may be able to get up to three months’ worth of backdated Pension Credit paid to you as well.
The average Pension Credit claim is worth £3,900 a year and also opens up a host of other perks like a free TV licence, council tax reductions and help with NHS treatments.
Most eligible pensioners are paid the Winter Fuel Payment automatically.
However, if you are eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment but live abroad, you will need to claim via post or phone.
The phone number to call is +44 (0)191 218 7777 and any forms need to be sent to: Winter Fuel Payment Centre, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1ZU, UK.
You will only get a Winter Fuel Payment if you live abroad and in one of the following countries:
- 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
The deadline to make a claim for a Winter Fuel Payment is March 31, 2025.
If you are expecting an automatic payment and it hasn’t been paid by January 29 next year, you should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160.
Help for those not eligible for Winter Fuel Payments
If you’re one of millions missing out on Winter Fuel Payments this year there is other help you might qualify for.
First is the Household Support Fund which is a £421million pot of cash that’s been shared between councils in England.
A further £79million has been shared between local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The fund is designed to help those on low incomes, benefits or struggling financially to, generally, cover the cost of energy bills or food.
But each council has been given a unique share of the fund meaning what you’re entitled to depends on where you live.
The best thing to do is contact your local council and find out if you’re in line for support, and what help you can get.
You can find what council area you fall under by visiting https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
You might also qualify for the Warm Home Discount if you’re on a number of benefits, including Housing Benefit.
You can find out more about the scheme in our piece here.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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