DWP four-week deadline to claim £600 winter payment - see if you're eligible
Older Brits who have yet to receive their Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £600 have just over four weeks left to make a claim.
The majority of people who are eligible for this extra support should have already received their payment. Most households were paid the Winter Fuel Payment automatically in their bank account in either November or December. But there are some cases where you may need to apply for it - and the deadline to do this is March 31 .
The Winter Fuel Payment is worth up to £300, depending on your living arrangements and circumstances, but everyone who is eligible this winter is also receiving an extra £300 pensioner cost of living payment on top of the standard Winter Fuel Payment.
This means some households will get up to £600. More than 11.4 million payments were made last year, including 36,000 to expats living abroad. Here is everything you need to know about the payment.
Who is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment?
You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023/24 if you were born before September 25, 1957. You also need to have lived in the UK - although in some cases you can claim if you’ve moved abroad - for at least one day between September 18 to September 24, 2023.
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This qualifying period changes every year but is normally the week beginning from the third Monday in September. Most people who receive the following benefits will get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically:
State Pension
Pension Credit
Attendance Allowance
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Carers Allowance
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Income Support
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
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Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Incapacity Benefit
Industrial Death Benefit
Do I need to claim Winter Fuel Payment?
Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically, but some will need to apply. You may need to apply if you don't receive these benefits, you’ve deferred your state pension, or you live abroad.
If you do not live in the UK, you’re only eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if:
You moved to an eligible country before January 1, 2021
You were born before September 25, 1957
You have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK, and having family in the UK
You can use the contact details below to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre about putting in a claim.
How to contact Winter Fuel Payment Centre
You can contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre by post or by telephone. The number to call by phone from outside the UK is: 0191 218 7777. If you're in the UK, the number is: 0800 731 0160. If you’re putting in a claiming by post, you’ll need to download the relevant form, depending on where you live, and send it to: Winter Fuel Payment Centre, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1ZU, UK.
Who might not be eligible for Winter Fuel Payment
There are certain circumstances where you won’t be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. This includes if you:
Have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
Need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public funds
Were in prison for the whole of the week of 18 to 24 September, 2023
If you live in a care home, you won’t receive the payment if both the following apply:
You get Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You lived in a care home for the whole time from June 26 to September 24, 2023
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