Tag: winter fuel payments

Up to £600 winter support for pensioners arriving in bank accounts

Payments of up to £600 are landing directly in the bank accounts of around 11.5 million UK pensioners for the second year running

  • Comes as part of extensive Government package helping people of all ages, including recent £300 Cost of Living payments to more than seven million eligible households.
  • After meeting our pledge to halve inflation, the UK Government this week also confirmed an 8.5 percent increase to the State Pension next year.

Pensioners across the country have started to receive up to £600 to help with energy bills this winter.

Winter Fuel Payments – boosted again this year by an additional £300 per household Pensioner Cost of Living payment – will land in bank accounts over the next two months, the vast majority automatically.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “We have delivered on our promise to halve inflation and will continue to support people right across the country, including pensioners who may be facing particular challenges over the colder months.

“As well as up to £600 to help our pensioners stay warm this winter, we’re boosting pensions through the Triple Lock – increasing the full rate of the New State Pension by over £900 next year.”

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 in Great Britain, or ‘DFC WFP’ for people in Northern Ireland.

The overwhelming majority of Winter Fuel Payments are paid automatically but some people need to make a claim, such as those who qualify but do not receive benefits or the State Pension and have never previously received a Winter Fuel Payment. The payments deliver additional support to pensioners, the majority of whom are on fixed incomes and also are unable to raise their incomes through fixed employment.

The start of the Winter Fuel Payments season comes hot on the heels of the recent £300 Cost of Living payments made by the DWP to more than seven million eligible households across the UK.

This latest payment is the second of up to three Cost of Living Payments being made this financial year. These payments – which are all tax-free and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards – demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting low-income families with financial pressures.

Pensioners getting Pension Credit also qualify for this extra support. The average Pension Credit award is now worth £3,900 per year and there is still time for those who are eligible to apply and receive the £300 Cost of Living payment. 

This is because an eligible claim for Pension Credit can be backdated by three months provided the entitlement conditions are met throughout that time.

Including measures announced in the Autumn Statement this week, our total commitment to ease cost of living pressures has risen to £104 billion. That includes paying around half the cost of the average energy bill since last October and amounts to an average of £3,700 per household.

Up to £600 for pensioners arrive in bank accounts from today

  • From today, over 11.6 million pensioners will start to receive up to £600 to help with their energy bills this winter
  • This support, worth over £4.5 billion, is part of an extensive package helping people of all ages with the cost of heating their homes, including through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme [available to eligible households in England, Scotland and Wales], and the Energy Price Guarantee saving typical households £900.

From today (23 November 2022), over 11.6 million pensioners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will start to receive payments of up to £600 to help with their energy bills this winter.

Winter Fuel Payments – boosted this year by an additional £300 per household Pensioner Cost of Living payment – will land in bank accounts over the next two months, the vast majority automatically.

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.”

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 in Great Britain, or ‘DFC WFP’ for people in Northern Ireland.

The overwhelming majority of Winter Fuel Payments are paid automatically but some people need to make a claim, such as those who qualify but do not receive benefits or the State Pension and have never previously received a Winter Fuel Payment.

This month, over seven million payments of £324 have already been made to low-income households as part of this government’s cost of living support. This includes pensioners receiving Pension Credit.

The average Pension Credit award is worth over £3,500 a year, and for those pensioners who may be eligible but are yet to make an application, there is still time to do so and qualify for this additional £324 payment.

This is because Pension Credit claims can be backdated by up to three months, provided the entitlement conditions are met throughout that time.

To ensure that a successful backdated claim falls within the qualifying period for extra £324 cost of living help, pensioners are being urged to claim Pension Credit as soon as possible, and by no later than 18 December 2022.

The online Pension Credit calculator is on hand to help pensioners check if they’re likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive.

Further cost of living support to be paid next year was announced by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement last week. Payments will include a further £300 for pensioners, £900 for households on means-tested benefits and £150 for those on disability benefits.

Letter: Use drug cash to help older people

 

Dear Editor

I think talking about taking pensioners’ bus passes and winter fuel payment  away is terrible – surely there could be another way? Allow them £100 – £150 and a couple £250. The money should be taken off people who are receiving money but who abuse it on drugs, etc. Take the money off them and give it towards winter fuel payments to the elderly.

Name and Address withheld on request