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.

Should You Be Claiming a Winter Fuel Allowance?

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.

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

by ChrisMiller, 2 years ago

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...

by kkkk20, 1 year ago

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.

by crossf, 10 months ago

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

by jenni10, 6 months ago

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

by karenn, 5 months ago

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.

by freddiegood, 5 months ago

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.

by lol78, 5 months ago

I didn't realise they had put the age up to 61 Martin, thanks for that.

by Sabre, 5 months ago

people getting more than £200 fuel allowance per household, should be means tested - wherever they live.

by prunela, 4 months ago

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.

by Sabre, 4 months ago

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!

by Alloa, 4 months ago

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

by Oldhead, 3 months ago

can anybody tell me if u live on a boat can u still claim wfa only got care of address

by tommy1931, 2 months ago

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.

by briddy, 1 month ago

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.

by pipmkl, 1 month ago

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

by bansbu, 1 month ago

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.

by hammon69, 1 month ago

can i get heating allowance if i live abroad

by SYDCYP, 1 month ago

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

by Fluffy56, 4 weeks ago

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.

by pateve, 3 weeks ago

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.

by Sabre, 3 weeks ago

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.

by Feline123, 3 weeks ago

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

by davidmo70, 1 week ago

I never applied for mine davidmo they sent it automatically to me and for which I am very grateful.

by Sabre, 4 days ago
Get our free money saving newsletter
Join over 480,000 other subscribers who grab our expert money tips, unmissable money guides & hottest bargains each week in our special email...

More Guides on Other Benefits

Get Our Free Money Saving Email

Be the first to find out about the hottest bargains, biggest freebies & best deals each week...

Follow Us