Final date £300 Winter Fuel payment will be made confirmed by DWP

THE Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed the last day households should person the £300 Winter Fuel Payment.

The Winter Fuel Payment was antecedently disposable to everyone aged 66 and above, the existent State Pension age.

But in July the Government announced the payment would go means-tested meaning lone those connected certain benefits are eligible.

This includes those connected income support, tax credits and Universal Credit, but also Pension Credit.

From November, eligible households volition person automatic payments of up to £300.

Payments volition past proceed to beryllium made passim December.

Those who are eligible should person either received a letter, oregon should get 1 successful the coming month, telling them however overmuch they volition beryllium paid.

It volition besides explicate which slope relationship the outgo volition beryllium paid into - this is usually the aforesaid relationship arsenic wherever Pension Credit oregon different benefits are usually paid.

The DWP has advised each those eligible for the currency to expect it to participate their slope accounts by January 29 astatine the latest.

If the outgo does not travel through, pensioners are advised to interaction the Winter Fuel Payment Centre online oregon by telephone.

When you interaction the Winter Fuel Payment Centre you volition request to supply your name, address, day of commencement and NI number.

Eligible pensioners should look retired for a circumstantial codification to treble cheque that the wealth has been sent.

For those successful England and Wales, the outgo volition look arsenic the customer's National Insurance (NI) fig followed by "DWP WFP".

Whereas those in Northern Ireland should look for their NI fig followed by "DFC WFP".

So, if you unrecorded successful England and your NI fig is QQ123456B the outgo would amusement up arsenic QQ123456B DWP WFP.

You should cheque for this codification earlier consulting DWP.

If you don't deliberation your wintertime substance outgo has travel through, cheque for this codification successful your slope connection earlier consulting the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

And if you haven't yet checked whether you conscionable the caller criteria for the payment, marque definite you're up to day and cognize however overmuch you're beryllium expecting.

Pensioners who are disquieted astir missing retired connected the outgo this wintertime can seek enactment from a agelong database of schemes - which volition besides beryllium elaborate astatine the extremity of this article.

What is the wintertime substance outgo and who is eligible?

The wintertime substance outgo is issued to authorities pensioners connected definite benefits to assistance screen the outgo of hiked up energy bills over the colder months.

This is due to the fact that households thin to usage much vigor for heating arsenic temperatures drop.

The payment, which is made successful November oregon December, is automatic meaning you don't request to apply.

Those on Universal Credit with a associated assertion wherever 1 subordinate was implicit the authorities pension property antecedently had to use to get the payment.

To automatically suffice this year, you request to beryllium of authorities pension property and successful receipt of 1 of the pursuing 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 indispensable person an progressive assertion for these benefits during the "qualifying week" which is from September 16 to 22 this year.

You lone request to use this twelvemonth if:

• you moved to an eligible state earlier January 1, 2021
• you were calved earlier September 23, 1958
• you person a genuine and capable nexus to the UK - this tin see having lived oregon worked successful the UK and having household successful the UK

Households tin assertion by telephone from October 28 via the fig 0800 731 0160.

They person until March 31, 2025 to bash this.

Or to assertion by post, you'll request to capable successful the wintertime substance outgo assertion signifier and station it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

This is disposable astatine www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim.

More vigor assistance for pensioners

In effect to the government's slash to the wintertime substance payments, Octopus Energy has launched a strategy offering discretionary recognition of betwixt £50 and £200 to pensioners.

British Gas has besides acceptable speech implicit £140 cardinal this wintertime for its Individual and Families Support Fund.

And Scottish Power's Hardship Fund has handed retired much than £60 cardinal to its struggling customers.

To find retired what you tin get, cheque the offers from your ain supplier archetypal by going to their website oregon asking idiosyncratic connected the phone.

Most schemes are exclusive to customers, but the British Gas Individual and Families fund is disposable to everyone if your ain supplier can't help.

Help tin besides beryllium accessed from your section assembly via the Household Support Fund, which has renewed a caller cookware of £421 cardinal uncovering for susceptible households.

To find retired if you are eligible, spell to your council's website and work implicit the conditions of the scheme.

If you're conscionable looking for elemental ways to trim your measure this winter, each of these supplier schemes, arsenic good arsenic the Household Support Fund besides connection escaped electrical blankets arsenic portion of their deal.

For example, Octopus person said they volition administer 20,000 electrical blankets from Dreamland to its astir susceptible customers, keeping them lukewarm for "as small arsenic 3p an hour".

The "heat yourself not your home" attack is trending fast, with retailers specified as B&M introducing ranges of affordable self-heating appliances.

However, it is important to enactment that the aged should not debar turning the heating connected if they are acold - for vigor assistance interaction your supplier oregon section council, oregon work our article here.

Do you person a wealth occupation that needs sorting? Get successful interaction by emailing [email protected].

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