{"id":103373,"date":"2025-02-03T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=103373"},"modified":"2025-02-03T00:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T00:07:13","slug":"pensioners-extra-100-winter-fuel-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/pensioners-extra-100-winter-fuel-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"State Pensioners Born in These Years Could Get an Extra \u00a3100 in Winter Fuel Payments \u2013 Do You Qualify?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For years, the <strong>Winter Fuel Payment<\/strong> has been a vital source of financial support for state pensioners, helping them cover <strong>increased energy costs<\/strong> during the colder months. However, this year marks a <strong>significant shift<\/strong>, as the government has introduced <strong>means-testing<\/strong>, meaning not all pensioners will automatically receive the payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite this change, those who <strong>do qualify<\/strong> could receive a <strong>higher amount than expected<\/strong>, with pensioners <strong>aged 80 or older<\/strong> eligible for an <strong>extra \u00a3100<\/strong>. This adjustment means that while some pensioners are <strong>losing out on the payment altogether<\/strong>, others could see their support <strong>increase significantly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exact amount each pensioner receives will depend on their <strong>age and benefit status<\/strong> during the <strong>qualifying period<\/strong>, which ran from <strong>16 to 22 September 2024<\/strong>. However, for those who missed the deadline, there is still time to <strong>backdate a Pension Credit claim until December<\/strong>\u2014potentially unlocking additional financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who Qualifies for the Extra \u00a3100?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the new rules, pensioners who meet the <strong>eligibility criteria<\/strong> will receive one of two <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/finance\/personalfinance\/2007604\/state-pensioners-born-these-years-instant-100-winter-fuel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Winter Fuel Payment <\/a>rates<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pensioners born on or before 22 September 1958<\/strong> (under 80) will receive <strong>\u00a3200<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pensioners born on or before 23 September 1944<\/strong> (over 80) will receive <strong>\u00a3300<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that pensioners <strong>aged 80 or older<\/strong> will get an <strong>additional \u00a3100 on top of the standard payment<\/strong>, provided they meet <strong>other eligibility requirements<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While many pensioners will receive <strong>automatic payments<\/strong>, others may need to <strong>submit a claim<\/strong>, especially if they have <strong>never received a Winter Fuel Payment before<\/strong> or if they are on <strong>Universal Credit or Tax Credits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Claim the Winter Fuel Payment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/pensioners-boost-hmrc-admits-tax-blunder\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"102585\">pensioners <\/a>who <strong>qualify<\/strong> will receive a <strong>letter confirming their payment amount<\/strong>, along with details of which <strong>bank account<\/strong> it will be paid into\u2014usually the same one linked to <strong>Pension Credit or other benefits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if you do not receive an automatic payment, you may need to <strong>submit a claim<\/strong>. According to <strong>Age UK<\/strong>:<br>&#8220;If you or your partner claims Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker\u2019s Allowance, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, the payment should go to the main claimant of the benefit automatically.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those who <strong>do not receive these benefits<\/strong>, or if they have <strong>never claimed a Winter Fuel Payment before<\/strong>, it may be necessary to <strong>apply directly<\/strong>. Pensioners who receive <strong>Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit<\/strong> must <strong>make a claim manually<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When Will Payments Be Made?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligible pensioners should receive their <strong>Winter Fuel Payment between mid-November and Christmas<\/strong>. If the payment does not arrive, they can contact the <strong>Winter Fuel Payment helpline at 0800 731 0160<\/strong> for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A statement from the government confirmed:<br>&#8220;If you&#8217;ve never received a Winter Fuel Payment before, or if you claim Universal Credit, you might need to make a claim. You should receive your payment between mid-November and Christmas.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that pensioners should <strong>check their bank accounts regularly<\/strong>, as the <strong>exact payment date may vary<\/strong> depending on individual circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Pensioners Should Do Now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the <strong>government tightening eligibility rules<\/strong>, some pensioners will <strong>lose access<\/strong> to the Winter Fuel Payment, while others\u2014particularly those <strong>over 80<\/strong>\u2014could <strong>see an increase<\/strong> in their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure they receive the <strong>correct payment<\/strong>, pensioners should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Check their eligibility<\/strong> based on their <strong>birth year and benefit status<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Confirm whether they will receive an automatic payment or need to apply<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Backdate a Pension Credit claim<\/strong> before December if they missed the qualifying week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contact the Winter Fuel Payment helpline<\/strong> if their payment does not arrive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For those who qualify, this <strong>extra \u00a3100 boost<\/strong> could provide <strong>valuable financial relief<\/strong> during the coldest months of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of state pensioners could receive an extra \u00a3100 in their winter fuel payment this year, depending on their year of birth. With the government making changes to how the payment is distributed, pensioners need to check if they still qualify for support. Who is eligible for this boost, and how can you claim it? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103373"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103377,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103373\/revisions\/103377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}