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Winter Fuel Payments explained: See if you’re eligible for DWP benefit worth up to £600 | Personal Finance | Finance
Winter Fuel Payments explained: Are you eligible for DWP benefit worth up to £600 (Image: Getty)
Millions of pensioners across the country have started to receive up to £600 to help with energy bills this winter.
Winter Fuel Payments, which have been boosted again this year by the £300 Pensioner Cost of Living payment – will land in bank accounts over the next two months.
Mel Stride, Work and Pensions Secretary 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 person’s National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’ for people in Great Britain. For people in Northern Ireland, ‘DFC WFP’ will follow their NI number.
The DWP’s payment will land in most eligible people’s bank accounts over the next two months (Image: Getty)
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the majority of will be paid automatically, but some people may need to make a claim.
For example, those who qualify but do not receive benefits or the state pension and have never previously received a Winter Fuel Payment will need to claim.
The payments deliver additional support to pensioners, the majority of whom are on fixed incomes and are unable to raise their incomes through fixed employment.
Who is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment?
People can get a Winter Fuel Payment if they were born before September 25, 1957.
They usually need to live in the UK, but in some circumstances, people can be eligible if they live abroad.
Winter Fuel Payments have been boosted again this year by the £300 Pensioner Cost of Living payment (Image: Getty)
People can also be eligible for the payment if they live in a care home, provided that both of the following do not apply:
- They get Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- They lived in a care home for the whole time from June 26 to September 24, 2023.
People will also not be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if:
- They have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- They need permission to enter the UK and their granted leave says they cannot claim public funds
- They were in prison for the whole of the week of September 18 to September 24, 2023.
Those who do not receive a payment by January 26, 2024, are advised to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
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How much is the Winter Fuel Payment?
People should have received a letter in October or November telling them how much Winter Fuel Payment they’ll get.
The amount is based on when a person was born and their circumstances between September 18 to September 24 2023. This is referred to as the ‘qualifying week’.
Eligible pensioners would usually receive between £100 to £300, depending on age and personal circumstances. However, this year’s amount includes the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment, raising the figure for potential payments to range from £250 to £600 instead.
Winter Fuel Payment rates 2023/24
If a person qualifies and lives alone (or none of the people they live with qualifies), the following rates for winter 2023/24 apply:
- £500 for those born between September 25, 1943, and September 24, 1957
- £600 for those born on or before September 25, 1943
If a person qualifies and lives with someone else who qualifies but does not get any benefits:
- £250 for those if they and the person they live with were born between September 25, 1943, and September 24, 1957
- £250 for a person who was born between September 25, 1943, and September 24, 1957, but the person they live with was born before September 25, 1943
- £350 if a person was born before September 25, 1943, but the person they live with was born between September 25, 1943 and September 24, 1957
- £350 if both a person and the person they live with were born before September 25, 1943.
If a person qualifies and lives with someone and jointly claims certain benefits (including Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support):
- £500 if both were born between September 25, 1943 (one person will receive the payment)
- £600 if one or both were born before September 25, 1943.
If a person qualifies and solely claims the specified benefits:
- £500 for those born between September 25 1943, and September 24, 1957
- £600 for those born before September 25, 1943.
If a person qualifies and lives in a care home:
- £250 for those born between September 25, 1943, and September 24, 1957
- £300 for those born before September 25, 1943.
The start of the Winter Fuel Payments season comes following 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 scheduled for this financial year. These payments are all tax-free and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.
Pensioners getting Pension Credit also qualify for this extra Cost of Living Payment support. The average Pension Credit award is now worth £3,900 per year and eligible people still have time 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.
The next and final Cost of Living Payment will be worth £299 and will be paid in spring 2024.
Mumbai:
The Indian equity benchmark indices opened higher on Friday amid positive global cues, as buying was seen in the IT, pharma and auto sectors in the early trade.
At around 9.27 am, Sensex was trading 265.3 points or 0.33 per cent up at 80,066.81 while the Nifty added 89.85 points or 0.37 per cent at 24,336.55.
Nifty Bank was down 222.85 points or 0.40 per cent at 54,978.55. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 54,980.80 after increasing 10.95 points or 0.02 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,903.30 after declining 60.20 points or 0.35 per cent.
According to market watchers, “after a positive opening, Nifty can find support at 24,200 followed by 24,100 and 24,000. On the higher side, 24,500 can be an immediate resistance, followed by 24,600 and 24,700.
“The charts of Bank Nifty indicate that it may get support at 55,000 followed by 54,700 and 54,500. If the index advances further, 55,500 would be the initial key resistance, followed by 55,800 and 56,200,” said Hardik Matalia, Derivative Analyst of Choice Broking.
Meanwhile, in the Sensex pack, TCS, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, Eternal, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Infosys, M&M and Tata Motors were the top gainers. Whereas, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Nestle India and IndusInd Bank were the top losers.
In the last trading session, Dow Jones in the US added 1.23 per cent to close at 40,093.40. The S&P 500 climbed 2.03 per cent to 5,484.77 and the Nasdaq added 2.74 per cent to close at 17,166.04.
In the Asian markets, Jakarta, Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong, China and Japan were trading in green.
According to analysts, US markets extended their rally on Thursday as investors snapped up hard-hit technology stocks, helping boost the S&P 500 out of correction territory.
The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 8,250.53 crore on April 24. However, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold equities of Rs 534.54 crore on the same day.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai:
Indian equity markets are trading in the red as tensions soar between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. Sensex, the 30-share BSE benchmark, has crashed over 1,000 points and is now trading below the 79,000-mark. Nifty, the NSE index of 50 shares, fell below 24,000 points.
The markets went up in early trade, driven by a global rally and fund inflows, but the momentum got lost thereafter, and it gave up the initial gains.
The markets are also upset by unimpressive March quarter earnings by Axis Bank, the third-largest private sector bank of the country. The bank’s shares have fallen 4.65% after reporting a decline in quarterly profit from Rs 7,130 crore in the year-ago period to Rs 7,117 crore.
Besides Axis Bank, major laggards include Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, and Tech Mahindra. On the gaining side are TCS, Infosys, Reliance, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank.
At least 26 civilians were massacred by terrorists in a tourist hotspot known as ‘Mini Switzerland’, leading to both countries pulling out their diplomatic staff and suspending visas issued to the other nation’s citizens. (Follow live updates here)
The latest flare-up at the Line of Control was speculative firing by Pakistani troops, which is being seen as an attempt to provoke the Indian side. Indian troops retaliated effectively against the firing from multiple Pakistani posts.
As Indian equities braced for the impact, global equities, including the Asian markets, were charting in the positive territory. South Korea’s Kospi index, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Shanghai SSE Composite were all in green.
Similar trends were seen in US equities, too. Last evening, Nasdaq Composite closed 2.74 per cent higher. S&P 500 jumped over 2 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.23 per cent.
Mumbai:
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday amid profit-taking after a seven-day rally and muted trend in Asian markets.
The 30-share BSE benchmark declined 242.01 points to 79,874.48 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went down by 72.3 points to 24,256.65.
In the past seven trading days, the BSE benchmark gauge zoomed 6,269.34 points or 8.48 per cent and the Nifty jumped 1,929.8 points or 8.61 per cent.
From the Sensex firms, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Technologies, Reliance Industries, and HDFC Bank were among the laggards.
IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, Nestle, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, and Tata Motors were among the gainers.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi index, Shanghai SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were trading lower while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 quoted in the positive territory.
US markets ended sharply higher on Wednesday. Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.50 per cent, S&P 500 surged 1.67 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.07 per cent.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.12 per cent to USD 66.20 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 3,332.93 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
The BSE benchmark jumped 520.90 points or 0.65 per cent to settle at 80,116.49, the highest closing level since December 18, on Wednesday. The Nifty rallied 161.70 points or 0.67 per cent to 24,328.95.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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