State Pensioners are being urged to ‘make one phone call’ from today to get their £300 Winter Fuel Payment reinstated.
Under the previous government, the free handout was a universal payment for people of State Pension age, but new Labour rules means it is now a means-tested benefit.
The change means that millions of pensioners who previously qualified for it will not be eligible this year, unless they are claiming pension credit or other means-tested benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates that 1.5 million pensioners will get the £300 payment for winter 2024/25 – a significantly lower number than the 10.8 million pensioners who qualified last year.
If you’re eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment this year, you’ll receive a letter in October or November telling you how much you will get. The amount is based on when you were born and your circumstances between the qualifying week of September 16 to 22, 2024.
But pensioners can make a phone call from today (October 28) to check their eligibility thanks to the opening of the Winter Fuel Payment hotline, which could grant them up to £300 this winter.
The DWP says you’ll qualify for either £200 or £300 to help pay your heating bills if you were born before September 23, 1958, live in England or Wales, and you claim one of the following:
You must have been getting one of these benefits during the qualifying week of September 16 to 22, 2024.
You can call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160 to check your eligibility.
Most payments will be made automatically in November or December and you’ll get a letter from the DWP telling you how much you’ll get and which bank account it will be paid into. This is usually the same account as your Pension Credit or other benefits.
If you don’t receive a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by January 29, 2025, you should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
