The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an update to its online guidelines to make it easier for around eight million pensioner households to learn if they qualify for a £300 cost of living boost this winter.
The one-off payment will be added onto the annual Winter Fuel Payment, which will be issued between November and December, though in order to qualify pensioners need to have met specific conditions.
As reported by the Daily Record, to get the cash boost you need to have been born on or prior to September 25, 1956, and lived in the UK for one day or more during the qualifying week of September 19 to September 25.
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If either of these statement are not true, or you live outside of the UK, you may be required to make a claim. If you have received a Winter Fuel Payment before, you don't need to make a new claim unless you have deferred your State Pension or moved outside of the UK since.
According to DWP guidelines, the majority of payments will be issued automatically this month or in December, and should be paid no later than January 13.
The DWP has stated that recipients should not chase missing payments until after January 13, as they will be unable to help with queries until then.
Additionally, the UK Government department has revealed the payment amounts of a number of different household situations, such as somebody living alone, with a partner over or under 80, or whether wither of them receive other benefits/
Neither the Winter Fuel Payment or the additional Pensioner Cost of Living Payment are taxable, and do not impact eligibility for other benefits.
Who is not eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment
You will not get the Winter Fuel Payment if you:
- Are in hospital receiving free treatment for over a year
- Require permission to come into the UK and your granted leave states that you are unable claim public funds
- Were imprisoned for the entire week from 19 to 25 September 2022
- Resided in a care home for the whole period of 27 June to 25 September 2022, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Winter Fuel Payment rates 2022/23
Amounts shown in all examples are the total payments, full details of payments can be found on GOV.UK here.
You qualify and live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify)
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £500
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £600
You qualify and live with someone under 80 who also qualifies
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £250
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £350
You qualify and live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £250
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £300
You qualify, live in a care home and do not get certain benefits
Benefits - Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £250
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £300
Winter fuel payments if you get certain benefits
Your payment may be different if you or your partner gets one of the following benefits:
- Pension Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
You qualify, get one of the benefits and live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify)
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £500
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £600
You qualify and live with a partner who qualifies, and either of you gets one of the benefits
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £500 - only one of you will get the payment
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £600 - only one of you will get the payment
You qualify and live with someone (not your partner) who qualifies, and either of you gets one of the benefits
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: £500 - you will both get the payment
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £600 - you will both get the payment
You qualify, live in a care home and get one of the benefits
- Born between September 25, 1942 and September 25, 1956: Nil
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: Nil
How to claim
If you have not had a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if any of the following apply:
- you do not get benefits or a State Pension
- you get an Adult Disability Payment from the Scottish Government
- you only get Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit
- you get benefits or a State Pension but live in Switzerland or an EEA country
If you have received a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if since your last payment you have either:
- deferred your State Pension
- moved to Switzerland or an EEA country
Claiming by phone or post
If you need to claim, you can claim Winter Fuel Payment by phone or by post.
Claim for the first time by phone
Call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre to claim by phone on 0800 731 0160 - lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.
Claim for the first time by post
You need to fill in a Winter Fuel Payment claim form for UK residents - this can be found on GOV.UK here.
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