This is an annual payment to help with heating bills, for eligible people, over the winter period. Any household that includes a person over 65 can get the payment and that person does not have to be in receipt of any other benefits.
This payment is tax free and is usually an automatic payment. If a household includes someone over 80 there is extra money available; the amount paid will depend on the household circumstances.
Who qualifies?
You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter as long as you meet the following criteria (but see next paragraph for exceptions):
- meet the ‘eligibility birth date’ which changes every financial year (www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility
and
- normally live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland on any day in the qualifying week. The qualifying week is the week beginning on the third Monday in September.
You can’t get a Winter Fuel Payment if, throughout the qualifying week, you are:
- the partner of, and living with, a person who also qualifies for a Winter Fuel Payment and receives Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. In that case, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will pay any Winter Fuel Payment to the partner who is receiving that benefit
- in hospital getting free in-patient treatment and have been doing so for 52 weeks or more
- in custody serving a court sentence
- subject to immigration control and do not qualify for help from the DWP
- in residential care and getting Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. ‘In residential care‘ means living in a care home, an independent hospital or Ilford Park Polish Resettlement Home for a continuous period of at least 13 weeks.
Once you have qualified for Winter Fuel Payment, you may be able to continue to receive it in later years if you move to another EEA (European Economic Area) country or to Switzerland.
Couples who qualify and are not receiving income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Pension Credit will receive half of the winter fuel payment each. The amount you receive is based on your individual circumstances during the qualifying week.
You do not normally have to claim a winter fuel payment. If you are in receipt of the state pension or other social security benefit (excluding housing benefit, council tax benefit or child benefit) in the qualifying week the payment will be made to you automatically. If you made a successful claim for a winter fuel payment in the previous year and your circumstances remain unchanged your payment will also be automatic.
All automatic Winter Fuel Payments should have been made by Christmas. If you should have received an automatic payment but have not done so by the end of December, you should contact the Fuel Payments Centre and, if necessary, make a claim. The contact details are:
Winter Fuel Payments Centre (Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm)
Tel: 0800 731 0160 or if outside of the UK Tel: +44 (0)191 218 7777
Textphone: 0800 731 0464 or if outside of the UK textphone : +44 (0)191 218 7280
Website: gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment
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