1.3 million pensioner households will start to receive up to £300
in Winter Fuel Payments across England and Wales from Monday 25
November.
The vast majority of these payments will land in pensioners' bank
accounts automatically, directly helping vulnerable households
with their energy bills. The value of a Winter Fuel Payment is
£200 for people born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September
1958, and £300 for those born before 23 September 1944.
The payment will be credited to bank accounts from 25 November
with the payment reference beginning with the customer's National
Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP'. Those who do not receive a
payment by 29 January 2025 should contact the department.
The Government continues to urge pensioners on a low income to
apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December deadline – all
eligible claimants would receive up to £300 with the Winter Fuel
Payment as well as any backdated Pension Credit arrears where
applicable.
Pension Credit could be worth on average up to £3,900 a year and
acts as a gateway to other important benefits including help with
housing costs, council tax reductions and NHS treatment costs.
The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will soon be worth
£227.10 a week for a single person and £346.60 for a couple.
This Government is also providing further protection against
energy costs this winter for low-income households through
DWP's Cold
Weather Payments, paid from 01 November until the end of March
2025.
These are an automatic bank top-up of £25, paid to eligible
households when the average temperature in the area has been
recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees or below over
seven consecutive days.
In addition, the £150 Warm Home Discount scheme has been
extended, alongside an additional £1 billion for the Household
Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025 -26,
demonstrating this Government's commitment to addressing
immediate hardship and crisis for vulnerable families across the
country.
Alongside this seasonal support, the government is committed to
supporting pensioners all year round. This includes increasing
the basic and new State Pension by 4.1 percent from April 2025,
which means the full rate of the new State Pension will rise to
over £12,000 a year.
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