Should You Be Claiming a Winter Fuel Allowance?
It’s looking like another cold winter, so getting all the financial help you’re entitled to is essential if it’s going to help you stay warm. If you’re 61 or over, you can claim up to £300 in Winter Fuel payments, here’s how.
The cost of keeping your home warm in winter can soon mount up, especially when the temperature drops. So, to help those 61 or over cope with the cost of heating their home, the government introduced Winter Fuel Payments.
These are simple one off payments of up to £300 made at the start of each winter.
Do I Qualify?
If you are over the age of 61 then there is a good chance that you will qualify for a winter fuel payment - exactly how much will depend on your circumstances.
If you were over 80 years old in the week 17th - 23rd September 2012 and live alone, or are the only person living in your property who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment you should be eligible for the full £300.
If you were born on or before the 5th July 1951 but are aged under 80, then you should qualify for a payment of £200.
However if you live with someone else who qualifies for the payment the amount you get will be split between the two of you. For example if you are both over 80 years old you will receive £150 each.
There are a couple of exceptions: if you are living in a care home or independent hospital and are already receiving other benefits such as Pension Credit, Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance you won’t qualify for the Winter Fuel payment.
However, if you are living in a care home or independent hospital but don’t receive any of the benefits listed above then you will be entitled to half the standard payment – so £100 or £150 if you are over 80.
For more information on eligibility visit the Gov.UK website.
How do you claim?
If you were paid the Winter Fuel Payment last year and you circumstances have not changed since then you should automatically be paid again this year without needing to submit a claim.
If you think that you are eligible for a winter fuel payment and didn't recieve it last winter, then you can claim by completing a form on the Gov.UK website and sending it to the specified address.
You will also need to enclose your birth certificate and, if your name doesn’t match your birth certificate, some proof of when your name changed, such as a marriage certificate.
The Direct Gov website states that “The Winter Fuel Payment won't affect your other benefits and you won't have to pay Income Tax on it” so there is no need to worry about any benefit implications.
All claims for winter 2012/13 have to be made before the 31st March 2013 deadline.
What about cold weather payments?
Cold weather payments are paid during periods of extreme cold and often get confused with winter fuel payments.
You can find out exactly what they are and if you’re eligible by reading our article on Cold Weather Payments.
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Responses (24)
49 yr old man with cystic fibrosis. Need to keep warm and eat well, but have to live just on incapacity benefit. V poor quality of life. Too sick to work. No heating help is a joke when many that rae not sick and well off get it. Help me
I agree it's an unfair system how can it be right that people still working and some are comfortably well off and are higher tax payers earning over £40k per year aged 61 yrs receive the winter fuel allowance when some sick people too ill to work do not get it.
Although i assume that the winter fuel allowance and free bus passes to people aged over 60 will change with the increase to the state old age pension in the future.
Unfortunately i do not see these CON/DEMS helping the less fortunate in our society they will be intent on cutting benefits for the poorest in society at the same time next April those who are getting a salary of £1 million pounds a year will be given a £40 thousand pounds tax relief as the 50% tax rate will be reduced to 45%.
I think you've answered your own question, gregzc.
Higher-rate taxpayers are paying higher-rate tax.
The fact is that the UK pays out more in social security and benefits per capita than any other country in the World. If people are hgenuinely sick and have disabilities they qualify for the appropriate benefit payment. The Winter fuel allowance (WFA) is a totally separate 'argument' and should not be mixed up with other benefits. It is not only the WFA that needs looking at it is ALL benefits. Other than genuine ill health, we cannot continue to pay people not to work or try to work. Michelle
Yes , that is true regarding the per capita cost of benefits .
The reason is because the World's benefit fraudsters , parasites , beggars , organised crime gangs , and general vermin and trash have been allowed to abuse this country by the insane' open door 'policies of successive corrupt , inept , and fraudulent governments .
I would jail the politicians who allowed this disgrace for treason .
Hi, Michelle, and welcome to the Forum.
You are quite right about the WFA. It is a part of the State Pension and, as such is not actually a 'benefit'.
I have a friend who lives permanent in Spain-BUT- keeps a UK address so she gets the Winter fuel allowance -its a joke!!!!
Spain is Brrrrrrrrrrrr
Cold in Winter
COLD COLD COLD
If your friend paid into the corrupt system , then your friend is entitled to a Winter Fuel Allowance
Unlike the alien vermin who flock here and milk the system . .
THEY DESERVE NOTHING
I've paid my taxes all my life & never claimed any benefit ever. I own my own house but if I need anything, because I've also been self employed for 30 years I stand I chance. I was looking forward to a bus pass at 60 but missed out and that & the WFA 'cus I was born Dec 51.
It's just shocking , Signhammer .
People must awaken to the fact that we taxpayers are being deliberately and systematically robbed of benefits that we have already paid for by this corrupt government of cheats, fraudsters and liars .
The apathy of the British electorate is truly appalling .
WE MUST SMASH THIS VICIOUS GOVERNMENT IN 2013 !
Too right signhammer, I was born on 01/05/1952, and dont qualify for them either.
Paid N.I and Taxes all my life,..Never taken from the state and am penalised for anything in latter years,
Still lets help the Spongers Eh?!!!!
The qualification date changes every year. Chec after 31 march 2013 the last day to claim 2012 wfp
i agree with signhammer lost out on bus pass, dont get wfa had company pension ddown tubes so get less state pension. looking forward to retirement no end
I'm not sure wether this is the right place to post but my parents are 61 and 66 respectively and get sent winter fuel allowance every year. This may suprise most but I was horrified by this and so were they. They both luckily continue to work and achieve a very comfortable standard of living and so give the equivalent amount to charity as they do not believe it should be given. Can the government not cross check the people who qualify for the allowance against people who pay over a certain level of tax and allocate the allowance accordingly? Surely then the people who really need it could be given more...
Hi kkkk20,
How good of your parents, that's really generous of them.
Why not post this as a Discussion as I'm sure our other members will have views on this issue?
Hannah
yes ,it is helpful for someone ,so let more members know will be nice ! but is that a bit late for this winter ?
Look again after 6 April and the qualification date is published. These payments are part of the state pension and not means tested. Old people feel the cold more than youngsters of 50!
Well said zutou March " 30th March 2012 deadline, Well it's A Bit late to find that out now,This is one of the main reasons we don't hear or no one tell's you these thing's except if you keep in touch C.A.B Who I MUST ADD Are ALL Volunteers & most of them are OLD AGE PENSIONER'S themselves, Which is how I knew all about what you seem to think is NEW NEW'S How come they Told my wife & I last year?.
They were Fuming & that is the VERY WORDS that were Spoken to us.
We cannot all keep going to the CAB they are out of money & closing down because they cannot pay the rent & they all have to be trained, it is a thankless Job How we would ever have Managed this long without their advice well the TRUTH IS WE WOULD NOT.
Stuck in a wheelchair unable to keep warm I am not a weak person but I will admit that last Winter I sat with my Coat & Blanket around me & my hat so I could watch T.V. Robbery with Violence that is all you can say because that is the TRUTH but M.P.S. Don't have that word in their Vocabulary All they know is Expenses Claims & Subsidised Food & Rent RIP OFF BRITAIN.
Well said , Crossf.. Keep on rrrrockin' , Mate .
The corrupt filth who are in government don't give a damn about those in need . They would much prefer pensioners who contributed so much to this corrupt living hell society to just die , so Corrupt.Gov. have more money to buy duck ponds and third and fourth homes .I really wish the apathetic , clueless Sheeple would wake up to this , and understand how we are all shafted by these evil governments . RIP OFF BRITAIN .
How can it be right when someone living in Canada receives this this heating allowance. Yes, they paid taxes before they left for Canada but still it seems crazy to me that they get an allowance when they no longer live in the UK.
But they have paid for these allowances in their taxes , so they are entitled to receive them .
What concerns me more is the alien influx who infest the UK , and arrogantly demand access to our NHS , housing ,schools , benefits , when they contribute nothing .
Seems that the nearer I get to being eligible for the winter fuel allowance of £200 so the goalposts change and I have to wait even longer. I have paid income tax and national insurance for over 44 years and although still working have no guilty conscience about taking what's on offer and what I've paid into. As said by nadge, people who have contributed nothing to this country's coffers seems to be getting everything. Maybe next year the goalposts won't have moved and I'll get my £200!!
Claim everything you are entitled to , Barbara .
You have earned it !
Unlike the alien incomers who have not earned an entitlement , and should get nothng .
Pay nothing in , get nothing out .
i have read through the various comments,it is difficult to agree or disagree with most of them they all have points in case. i wish a fairer system was was in place,But i dont think the people who like myself have worked 50 years and contrubuted full NI and tax should be denied the benefit had nothing from the system in 50 years. i agree more geniune sick disabled people should be included but there are a proportion of people who have brought poor health upon themselves excess drinking smoking drugs etc.
if you have contributed you should have the right and what you do with it ie pay some to charitable causes fine a lot of people do.
people come to our shores from all corners of the earth and we as a nation welcome them, but we shouldnt have to pay for them in front of our own this is not racist it is fairness if you have paid your dues then you are entitled. and if you are genuinely sick as well.
But we should not welcome those alien invaders who steal jobs that our own unemployed should have .
Or those who steal benefits.
Or those who are criminals .
Isn't something wrong when MPs can fiddle their EXPENSES upto the tune and over £50' 000 a year when some pensioners only get £73 a week state pension.just over £3,500 a year ....get them out ..... OUT.....OUT....OUT
How can they do anything to the criminals ,when they are criminals themselves...
They are criminals of the worst kind .
TAXPAYER ROBBERS .
They keep saying winter fuel payments are elgible for the over 60...not any more. I'm 60 now and its changed i will get mine when i am 62 if it doesn't change again before then. Shame on all the warm comfortable middleaged politicians who allowed this to happen
No, jenn. The rules on WFA have not changed,. But the rules on when you get your State Pension have,
Once you hit 60 you will be eligible for WFA.
Feline is right jenni10. You are entitled to WFA...
Hi everyone, to qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment you have to be born on or before 5th July, 1951, meaning you would be aged 61 or over.
If you're currently 60 then you wouldn't qualify for the payment quite yet I'm afraid.
OMG just checked Martin ,you are so right ....the blighters....how unfair..Sorry jenni ....
But the taxpayer robbing , lying , cheating , fraudulent , corrupt politicians won't suffer , will they ?
All in this , together , Shameron ?
I think not !
Sorry, wasn't aware of this change.
I was 60 in April and I have just found out via the website that I do not qualify for wfa!!!! To think you worki all your life in a full time job and then you have to wait for the benefits when others can come into our country and claim everything!!!!!
im still confused derrrr lol, i was 61 on 23rd nov this year,
born in nov 1951. my husband will be 61 on the 15dec this year born 15th dec 1951, when do we get it, both retired but i dont get my pension till next july making me 61&7mnths. Help somebody please !!
The sneaked that change in. I only knew about ti because my pal is now 61 and she cannot get it for another 2 years.
Marg got to the DWP website and it is all explained there in detail.
www.dwp.gov.uk
Thanks, save. B*ggers!
The government are crooks , cheats , liars , fraudsters ,and criminals
Sorry typos - wrong specs!
Ive not recieved any cold weather payments for at least two years,thought i would be eligble for it being as i am a diabetic
Your local CAB will advise you on this .
You can also check the qualifying criteria on
www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/overview
Goal posts moved again I am 60 and cant get wint fuel allowance and i also cant get a bus pass will never vote conservative again robbing people who have paid in all their lives.
This conservative. Goverment are just carrying on we're thatcher left off should never have sold the utilities off , they are going to give the utilities money to help private company's to invest in green power and expect us to pay extra to fund this,
I take it that the extra money the goverment is giving the private company's is tax payers money and they still want to charge a levy on are fuel bills, so in theory we are paying tax on top of tax we have already payed in.
All we are doing is lining the share holders with more taxpayers money.
I didn't realise they had put the age up to 61 Martin, thanks for that.
The goverment shysters always try to bury bad news .
Yes they are suggesting those who can do give it away now.
Yes , I heard that pathetic suggestion on the radio .
Don't be fooled by the lying politicians . This is a very rich country .
I would double state pensions , payable at 60 .
I would double the winter fuel allowance.
Pensioners deserve so much more .
The Wasteminster Wasters should concentrate on effectively taxing their rich tax-evading chums and mega-rich tax-evading companies , and not steal from us .
All in this together , my arse .
Shameron and Gormless Gideon must not get away with this .
Glad you say it as it is Nadge. Wonderful words from the mouth of an angle ;-) !!!!! Keep up the good work chuck.
Angle.......? ;-))
Angel - whoops, got letters wrong way round. ;-))
Hah !
An acute angle !
I would dearly love to bury an axe in the head of this rotton , vicious , corrupt , evil government of swindlers , fraudsters , cheats and liars .
They are taxpayer- robbing criminals .
WAKE UP , PEOPLE !
Same here nadge.
Governments are a corrupt , destructive , exploitive , self-serving behemoth that must be crushed .
Bring in Sharia law so most of you whiners would not be heard, and Nadge would walk 5 steps back :) AA GIG
We'll never have that rubbish here !
I FEAR NO CREATURE !
We will not indeed, nadge!
They will just carry on maiming young girls who have the intelligence to challenge their brutal and archaic laws , until we wipe the religious nutters out .
Nadge, Me thinks we would end up like Cyprus,Greece then Italy & Spain maybe in trouble - you can't spend all the money in the Banks unfortunately!! Re: fuel allowance - they need to check who gets this allowance properly - I know a married couple who get £200 **EACH** and don't need it.....what is going on....
That shouldn't be happening, prunella. It should only be one payment per household where one or more occupants are over state pension age,
Welcome to the community, by the way!
people getting more than £200 fuel allowance per household, should be means tested - wherever they live.
The WFP is part of the State Pension entitlement prunela.
Why , prunella ?
Surely our elderly deserve more ?
They have contributed greatly , and have earned their entitlement .
Quite so, nadge!
I see they are doing their best to stop us O.A.P's having it at the end of this year. I wonder if they will succeed. !!!
Honestly you would think it was thousands of pounds the way some people go on about it instead of £200 for £61 or over and £300 for the over 80's. Perhaps they would be pleased if they used it to inject us and finish us off so we wouldn't get it.
In this rotton , greedy , exploitive society the elderly are worth NOTHING , Sabre !
This country is a damned disgrace .
We must FIGHT THEM .
IDS , The Quiet Madman , intends to target benefits that our elderly receive .
I urgently suggest that everyone e-mails their corrupt MP-Slug expressing their opposition to this disgraceful proposal by this corrupt , criminal government of thatcherite tory filth .
It's only the over 80's that get more than £200 prunela so I don't think we will begrudge them a bit of extra money to keep warm. I understand it would be more expensive to means test everyone anyway.
Let's face it the amount of money the Government waste they are not going to go bust with the bit they give the old age pensioners.
Quite right !
Corrupt. Gov. must stop wasting OUR money on ill-conceived projects , overseas 'aid' bungs , the EU Tyrant , and themselves .
Apparently if you are both over 61 you 'may' be entitled to up payment to £300 instead of £200. This I agree is a great help to those who need help ( and yes we recv and need £200 in our household) but some people recv and do not need it. Alan Sugar donates his to charity ( good for him) but there are some people out there to get what they can and more!
A new idea from one MP is, instead of receiving fuel allowances - they put the money towards care costs if and when you get older you would only lose 40% of your savings /house value if and when time comes to sell, instead of 80%.
Maybe this is the way in the future. There will always be somebody somewhere that isn't happy with the outcome - BUT there are more OAP's than ever and on the increase and the cost of care and medicines has to come from somewhere. I don't like the idea of losing the fuel allowance, but if it means that certain people can't claim things they don't need, then so be it. The money can be spent on care home's AND improving them (another topic ha! as some have been found to be disgraceful)
.......
No only if you are over 85 do you get the £300 per household prunela, over 61 you are entitled to £200. Would you mind being means tested then ?
All care costs must be met by the State , Prunella .
This is a rich country .
Please do not believe the lies of the corrupt politicians .
WE are all paying for our care needs in taxation .
all care costs are not met by the state. My dad was in care home for 15months - his pension money paid for most of it and the state put rest.
No I wouldn't mind being means tested - would you?
So 61 & over - if you are short of money - you wouldn't get more than £200?? there is an application form where you can apply for more....
No they can means test me anytime.
Have you applied for more prunela ? If you can get more will you let us all know then we can apply. Thanks
No I haven't applied for more as I not 61 YET ha! but I know other people who are trying ( who have admitted they will milk the system for all they can get...) I have nothing against OAP.s getting help at all, if they need it - but the rich shouldn't be (sorry if I wind these people up, but they don't need it, do they) could go towards improvement of care if & when OAP,s need it.
Unfortunately due to the greediness of some people they will always milk the system and it's daft, honest folks like me who lose out. At least I can say "I've asked for nothing" and receive the winter fuel allowance which I am entitled to at the moment. I have a feeling that this will be stopped maybe next year after listening to a talk by one of the Liberals on T.V. last Friday.
When the WFP was first announced it was clear that it was part and parcel of the State Pension entitlement.
The, then, Government decided that it would be more beneficial to pay it in one lump in winter than increasing the pesion by £4 per week.
So, if it goes, the pension must increase or we have been cheated again.
Absolutely spot on , Feline .
My wife aged 59 has COPD with serious lung disease, and had her bus pass taken off her because they decided her condition wasn't terminal. Yet alcoholics and junkies, some in their teens still get their bus passes. It makes me sick with rage seeing these people get help meant for the genuinely ill!
I feel for you and your wife, Alloa, as I have COPD too, and my husband has MS.
But I haven't heard of any teenage alcoholics or junkies getting bus passes.
Hi Feline123. I'm not up to speed on other parts of the UK, but in Scotland it seems to be the norm.
That's terrible Alloa and no wonder you feel outraged. Do you think they are Students if they have passes ?
No Sabre, they've been openly heard talking about their scripts, a term they use for the methadone prescriptions they get.
Oh that's even worse Alloa.
I was talking to someone today who knew someone who recently went for an examination to see if she was entitled to any benefits after an operation. She was in a wheelchair when she went to be assessed and then managed to get out of the wheelchair and walk with a crutches.
A few day's later she got a letter to say she was fit to work as a cleaner even though she couldn't walk without her crutches or be without her wheelchair for many minutes. Are they mad or what ?
Totally mad, Sis!
Trouble is we all live too long now. My inlaws died in their late 60s which was the norm. My parents lived into their 80 s so my dad got his state pension for 27 years. He worked for about45 years. Could you put away a third of your pay every week to pay for your pension? The gov takes the third so we do get it back. And we get free health care on top and free schooling and bus passes. All brought in by Labour and they can't getvrid of it
can anybody tell me if u live on a boat can u still claim wfa only got care of address
My Garden pond has been frozen over since xmas 2012 now April 2013 pond still frozen over, We have not received any cold weather payments in this area dt9 uk. and the price of oil is going up and up. cannot cope any longer. so many OAP dying of the cold, am I next.
Contrary to what was said above UK benefits we rank 10th out of 35 countries on the level of welfare benefits. In Europe France, Germany and the Eurozone countries are all above us. You could argue that this explains many economic problems, but then you have to explain Germany , the economic powerhouse of Europe managing it, not to mention Norway, Sweden, Austria, Finland,The Netherlands being able to do it whilst still being prosperous.
Again it is never that simple,no matter what the media tells you.
How is it we are billions of pound s in the red and we still give away millions of pounds to other country's in aid.
who have space programs and large armed forces
Surely we could be well in the black before we give any thing away it's basic economics
Seems that this government can now find the money for a state funeral for mrs T, but I suppose that's ok while many pensioners of her age are dying because of the cold. Cannot Cameron and other members of his mega rich cabinet have a whip round and pay for it, that's how normal people help pay for things they can't afford.
can i get heating allowance if i live abroad
Don't think it just aliens taking from us tax payers there a lot of home grown sponges in fact a very lot of people never paid in better off I remember when money tight 1st married early life in high flats used to look at a nice wee house wi a garden thinking I'd love that for my kids now you leave school have a few kids never work you can get a bungalow in top area all paid for you it's wrong government payin rent on areas most of us dream of living in private renting also terrible 17 yr old beside my mum private rent didn't work made alls life hell blood all down stair walls I remortgaged my house to get my mum out because of my age cost me £1000 a month till I won to get him out and could sell my mums ( done this by protesting outside private landlords house in posh area) my mum died 5 months after this who killed her him or goverment not even mentioned how long is methadone prescribed for could go on for ever governments to soft but they all cheating too
I just looked at the dates for claiming the WFA and I am 60 born September 1952.
Seems I wont be eligible before 2016 at the earliest, I am 65 in 2017. how the hell does aged 60 come into it.
I understand the rules have been changed pateve and you have to wait until you are older now. You can contact the D.H.S.S. and ask them what you position is.
It used to be payable to everybody at age 60, pateve, but the rules have changed recently in the same way as the rules on state pension age have changed.
Sabre is right, contact the DWP or visit their website.
I was born in september 1951 ,am I right in assuming I will be eligible for winter fuel allowance this year 13/14 ,I shall be 62 ,there should be a table telling you all this but I am struggling to find one . David
I never applied for mine davidmo they sent it automatically to me and for which I am very grateful.
