Millions of pensioners are set to start receiving up to £600 from now to help with their energy bills. Households across the UK are struggling to cope with rising costs of food, general inflation and energy bills which are 95% higher than they were last winter.
The Bank of England has warned we face a two-year long recession – the longest in more than a century – and many have been left worried about affording their bills this winter. The UK Government has rolled out a number of cost of living payments to help those hardest hit by the cost crisis including £324 for those on means-tested benefits which was sent out earlier this month and a £400 energy bills discount spread over six months.
The government has also announced an increase in the winter fuel payment with pensioners getting an extra £300 on top of their usual payment to help with bills. The Department for Work and Pensions has announced that more than 11m pensioners will start receiving their money from Wednesday, November 23, which will be a much-needed boost heading into the colder months.
With payments being rolled out from now here is everything you need to know about the winter fuel payment and the additional £300 including whether you qualify, how much you will get, and how you will receive the money.
Read more: The important deadline for people claiming £400 energy bills discount vouchers
Do I qualify for the winter fuel payment and how much do I get?
The winter fuel payment is an annual tax-free sum paid by the UK Government to help those over the state pension age pay their heating bills during the coldest months and most payments are made in November and December. In order to qualify for the winter fuel payment you must have been born on or before September 25, 1956, and also have lived in the UK for at least one day in the qualifying week, which for 2022-23 was between September 19 and 25, 2022.
This year you will get an extra £300 for your household on top of your normal winter fuel payment. How much winter fuel payment you receive depends on a number of factors including your age, who you live, with and what benefits you receive. Here are the new winter fuel payments for 2022-23 including the additional pensioner cost of living payment.
This is how much you will get if you were born between September 26, 1942, and September 25, 1956:
- Live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify) - £500
- Live with someone under 80 who also qualifies - £250
- Live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies - £250
- Live in a care home and do not get certain benefits - £250
- Here is how much you will get if you were born on or before September 25, 1942:
- Live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify) - £600
- Live with someone under 80 who also qualifies - £350
- Live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies - £300
- Live in a care home and do not get certain benefits - £300
If you or your partner claims pension credit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, or income support your pay will be different.
If you were born between September 26, 1942, and September 25, 1956:
- Live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify) - £500
- Live with someone under 80 who also qualifies - £500 (only one of you will get the payment)
- Live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies - £500 (you'll both get the payment)
- Live in a care home and do not get certain benefits - N/A
- Here is how much you will get if you were born on or before September 25, 1942:
- Live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify) - £600
- Live with someone under 80 who also qualifies - £600 (only one of you will get the payment)
- Live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies - £600 (you'll both get the payment)
- Live in a care home and do not get certain benefits - N/A
When and how will I get my money?
You do not need to apply for the £300 pensioner cost of living payment, which will be issued automatically alongside the regular winter fuel payment. Households entitled to the winter fuel payment should also receive this automatically without needing to apply. The money will appear in bank statements with the payment reference starting with the customer’s national insurance number followed by 'DWP WFP' for people living in England, Scotland, and Wales, or 'DFC WFP' for people in Northern Ireland.
If you don’t claim the state pension or a qualifying benefit or you live abroad you may need to make a claim through the Gov.uk website here. You won't be eligible for a winter fuel payment – or the resulting pensioner cost of living payment – if any of the following apply:
- You are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- You need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you cannot claim public funds
- You were in prison for the whole week from September 19 to 25, 2022
- You lived in a care home for the whole time from June 27 to September 25, 2022, and got pension credit, income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, or Income-related employment and support allowance.
All payments should be made by January 13. If you haven't got yours by then you should contact the winter fuel payment centre on 0800 731 0160 or here.
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: "We want to do everything we can to support pensioners who are often the most exposed to higher costs. That’s why we’re providing all pensioner households with an additional £300 on top of their winter fuel payments to heat their homes and stay warm this winter.
“This extra payment is just one part of the wider support package we’re delivering to help with rising bills, including the biggest state pension increase in history. Our support doesn’t stop here. As we deal with the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the pandemic we will continue to stand by the most vulnerable with further cost of living payments coming next year.”
Families claiming legacy benefits such as tax credits should also start receiving their second cost of living payments from now. The £324 payment, the last part of the £650 announced by then-chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this year, has already been paid to most universal credit claimants since November 8. You can read more about that here.
Further cost of living support to be paid next year was announced by chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his autumn statement including a further £300 for pensioners, £900 for households on means-tested benefits, and £150 for those on disability benefits. You can read more about what the autumn statement means for you if you live in Wales here. To get all the latest money-saving news straight to your inbox twice a week sign up here.
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