You will get a letter telling you how much you will get and which account it will be paid into – the payment is usually made to the same account as your other benefits.
If you do not get a letter or you don’t receive money you’re expecting by 29 January 2025, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
Who gets the winter fuel payment?
You can get the winter fuel payment if you were born before 23 September 1958, you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and you claim one of several means-tested benefits:
- 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’ll also need to have been getting a benefit during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024.
You can’t claim winter fuel payment if you live in Scotland, but you might be eligible for a similar scheme (winter heating payment) from the Scottish Government.
The Labour government announced this year that it would change eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment, starting in winter 2024, by only giving it to older people who already receive benefits based on their income.
It means just 1.5 million of the 11.4 million older people who were previously eligible will still qualify for the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) cold weather payment.
Critics called the move “a political choice that will cause huge suffering“, while ministers blamed the necessity to plug a financial “black hole” inherited from Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.
There are certain circumstances where you might not have to live in the UK. This includes having moved to an eligible country (EEA and Switzerland) before December 2020 and having a “genuine and sufficient link” to the UK, such as having worked here or having family in the country.
People who have been living in hospital for more than a year don’t qualify for the payment. Unfortunately, you also won’t be eligible if you were in prison for the whole week of September 16-22 this year.
You might be eligible for some of the winter fuel payment if you live in a care home. But that’s only if you have lived in a care home for fewer than 13 weeks including September 16-22 and receive certain benefits.
How much is the winter fuel payment?
The winter fuel payment ranges between £200 and £300 depending on how old you are and who you live with.
The amount you get is based on your circumstances during the qualifying week of September 16-22 2024.
If you live alone or with no one else eligible for the payment:
If you were born before September 23 1944, you will get £300.
If you were born between September 23 1944 and September 22 1958, you will get £200.
How much winter fuel payment do couples get?
If you and your partner claim any of the eligible DWP benefits together, one of you will get a payment of either £200 or £300 based on the same birth dates:
- £300 if one of you was born before September 23 1944
- £200 if one of you was born between September 23 1944 and September 22 1958
How much winter fuel payment will I get if I live in a care home?
If you have lived in a care home for fewer than 13 weeks and meet the other eligibility criteria, you’ll get either:£200 if you were born between September 23 1944 and 22 September 1958, or £300 if you were born before September 23 1944.
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Is the winter fuel payment taxed?
The winter fuel payment is tax-free, and it won’t affect any other benefits you might be claiming.
How do I claim the winter fuel payment?
Most people get the winter fuel payment automatically if they’re already claiming eligible benefits. You’ll get a letter in October or November telling you how to make the claim.
You’ll get the payment automatically if you are receiving any of the eligible benefits including pension credit, universal credit and income support.
If you’re not sure about your eligibility, you can call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160, but you can’t make a claim over the phone.
For post, you’ll need to download a form and send it to Winter Fuel Payment Centre, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV981ZU, UK.
You can find more details about how to claim on the government website.
If you have not got the payment since you’ve moved abroad to an eligible country but believe you should receive it, you might have to make a claim instead of receiving in automatically.
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