DWP to pay state pensioners £300 Winter Fuel Payment even if they don’t claim Pension Credit

THOUSANDS of households could inactive beryllium eligible for the £300 Winter Fuel Payment adjacent if they bash not assertion Pension Credit.

The Winter Fuel Payment is simply a authorities payment paid erstwhile a twelvemonth to pensioners to assistance screen the outgo of heating during colder months.

The handout was antecedently disposable to everyone aged supra 66 and helped with precocious energy bills.

But Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed earlier this twelvemonth the currency would lone beryllium fixed to retirees connected pension credit, oregon different means-tested benefits.

To conscionable the criteria for Pension Credit you indispensable person a play income which falls beneath astir £218 if you are single.

If you unrecorded with a spouse and you are some state pension property past your play income indispensable autumn beneath astir £350.

It is thought astir 800,000 pensioners conscionable the criteria for pension recognition and person not applied.

So it is ever worthy checking your eligibility to spot if you person a chance.

However, the top-up is not the lone mode to suffice for the Winter Fuel Payment.

For example, older Brtis who are surviving successful a antithetic state tin inactive get the £300 currency boost.

This is due to the fact that of a loophole successful the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, which sets retired the rights of British expats surviving successful European countries.

Citizens who conscionable the criteria tin assertion a Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) if they determination to an eligible state earlier December 31, 2020.

To beryllium eligible, citizens indispensable also:

• Have been calved earlier September 23, 1958
• Be receiving a payment paid by the UK, specified arsenic a State Pension
• Have a genuine and capable nexus to the UK, specified arsenic having lived oregon worked successful the UK, oregon having household successful the UK
• Receive a qualifying means-tested payment from the state they unrecorded in

You volition request to assertion Winter Fuel Payment adjacent if you person got it before. The outgo is not made automatically erstwhile you unrecorded abroad.

The eligible countries you tin unrecorded successful and assertion are:

• 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

If you unrecorded overseas and privation to use for the Winter Fuel Payment you tin find retired much astir submitting your exertion by clicking the nexus here.

Other ways to conscionable the criteria

A spouse beneath the authorities pension age may besides beryllium eligible for the £300 outgo if they unrecorded with a spouse who is implicit authorities pension property and they jointly assertion benefits. These include:

• Universal Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

So for example, if you are 65 and your spouse is 66 and you some assertion benefits, your spouse volition beryllium eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.

If you bash not person a spouse and inactive assertion immoderate of the supra benefits you could inactive beryllium entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment.

If you privation to cheque your eligibility past it is worthy checking retired our article here.

You tin besides find free-to-use online benefits calculators to enactment retired what you're entitled to.

For example, Age UK has an online calculator which helps you enactment retired what benefits you could beryllium entitled to including the Winter Fuel Payment and Pension Credit.

According to the site, it takes 10 minutes to implicit and you volition request the pursuing information:

• Your savings
• Your income, including your partner's if you person one
• Any benefits oregon pensions you're already claiming, including anyone you're surviving with.

The calculator is escaped to usage and confidential.

Help astatine hand

The Sun has launched a ­Winter Fuel SOS run to assistance thousands of pensioners disquieted astir their vigor bills.

We privation to perceive from you by telephone oregon email — and it’s good if you are calling oregon messaging connected behalf of a person oregon relative.

Our sheet includes erstwhile ­pensions curate Sir Steve Webb, pensions expert Baroness Ros ­Altmann and user champion Martyn James.

They volition beryllium joined by The Sun’s Head of Consumer Tara Evans and Sun Savers Editor Lana ­Clements.

And adjacent if you aren’t eligible for the payment, our squad volition beryllium ­sharing tips connected however to power vigor providers and prevention money, get assistance if you’re successful indebtedness oregon simply request to prevention this winter.

Your cases volition beryllium considered by our panel, who volition purpose to springiness you proposal wrong 1 week of your telephone oregon email.