WIREDGOV

1.3 million pensioner households have yesterday (Monday 25 November) started to receive up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payments across England and Wales.

The vast majority of these payments will land in pensioners’ bank accounts automatically, directly helping vulnerable households with their energy bills. The value of a Winter Fuel Payment is £200 for people born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958, and £300 for those born before 23 September 1944.

The payment will be credited to bank accounts with the payment reference beginning with the customer’s National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’. Those who do not receive a payment by 29 January 2025 should contact the department.

The Government continues to urge pensioners on a low income to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December deadline – all eligible claimants would receive up to £300 with the Winter Fuel Payment as well as any backdated Pension Credit arrears where applicable.

Pension Credit could be worth on average up to £3,900 a year and acts as a gateway to other important benefits including help with housing costs, council tax reductions and NHS treatment costs. The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will soon be worth £227.10 a week for a single person and £346.60 for a couple.

This Government is also providing further protection against energy costs this winter for low-income households through DWP’s Cold Weather Payments, paid from 01 November until the end of March 2025.

These are an automatic bank top-up of £25, paid to eligible households when the average temperature in the area has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days.

In addition, the £150 Warm Home Discount scheme has been extended, alongside an additional £1 billion for the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025 -26, demonstrating this Government’s commitment to addressing immediate hardship and crisis for vulnerable families across the country. 

Alongside this seasonal support, the government is committed to supporting pensioners all year round. This includes increasing the basic and new State Pension by 4.1 percent from April 2025, which means the full rate of the new State Pension will rise to over £12,000 a year.

Further Information:

• Further information on who is entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment is available here Winter Fuel Payment: Eligibility 
• Help for pensioners to work out how much they will receive is available on GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment: How much you’ll get.
• Most payments are made automatically in November or December, and should be received by 29 January 2025.
• Those who do not receive a payment by 29 January 2025 should contact the department: Winter Fuel Payment: Report a change or cancel your payment.
• The majority of pensioners will receive their payment automatically, but some people living in Switzerland or an eligible EEA country need to claim.
• Further information about claiming can be found here: Winter Fuel Payment: Check if you need to claim