The DWP has confirmed the exact date you must be born to get the 2025 winter fuel payment, which will be made to nine million people this year
Anyone seeking to claim the Winter Fuel Payment this year has had the crucial date of birth confirmed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ announcement over the Y-turn giving it back to 9 million people, the Gov.uk website was refreshed with preliminary information, showing that people who were denied the £200-300 benefit last winter are now expected to receive it this time.
Even those earning more than £35,000 will qualify for the payment, which will subsequently be recovered through the tax system.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has maintained that the choice to restore most of the winter fuel payments was not swayed by political opposition to the policy.
In the wake of the announcement, the DWP updated its guidance and for the first time outlined the eligibility requirements for the payment – and the precise date – 22 September 1959 people must be born by.
The DWP has confirmed that only those born on or before a particular date will be entitled to the benefit.
Officials stated “The Winter Fuel Payment for 2025 to 2026 will be made to everyone in England and Wales born before 22 September 1959, unless you choose not to get it. You could get either £200 or £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter.”
They continued: “You do not need to do anything – payments will be made automatically.”
Authorities have confirmed that everyone will receive the payment but cautioned that those earning above a certain threshold would see it clawed back through HMRC, though they provided no details on how this system would operate.
The statement read: ” If your income is over £35,000, your Winter Fuel Payment will be recovered later through HMRC. Details of the 2025 to 2026 payment will be available by the end of June 2025.”
BBC Moneybox expert Paul Lewis has previously stated: “The £35,000 income limit for keeping the winter fuel payment will be frozen Ministers confirm, leading to more pensioners repaying the money year by year it will join frozen bereavement payments, capital limits, child benefit limits, and tax thresholds.”
Meanwhile, fresh data shows that consumer confidence in Britain’s economic prospects has plummeted over the past year.
Confidence has plunged by 31 points during the last 12 months, tumbling from an average of minus nine between May and July 2024 to an average of minus 40 between May and July this year, according to Which?’s Consumer Insight Tracker.
On average between this May and July, 56% of people believed the economy would worsen whilst just 16% anticipated improvement. Which?
has described the figures as a “significant fall” to some of the lowest levels seen since early 2023, when the cost-of-living crisis dominated headlines and inflation hit double digits.
The most pessimistic demographic is pensioners, whose outlook on the future UK economy has plummeted from an average of minus five between May and July last year to a stark average of minus 63 currently.
Their confidence took a sharp downturn in autumn last year – just after the Government’s initial decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance for the majority of pensioners – and has remained low ever since, despite the Government’s U-turn on fuel payments.
According to Which?’s data, the financial pressures from the peak of the cost-of-living crisis have not returned to pre-crisis levels.
As of 18 July, around 2.1 million households failed to make at least one crucial payment, whether it be rent or mortgage, utility bills, or credit card or loan repayments.
Moreover, an estimated 13.9 million households (49%) have had to make adjustments to afford essential outgoings like utility bills, housing costs, groceries, school supplies, and medicines over the past month – measures include cutting back on necessities, dipping into savings, selling items, or taking on debt.
Rocio Concha, Which?director of policy and advocacy, remarked: “Our research shows consumer confidence in the future of the UK economy has dropped alarmingly over the last year.”
She further stated: “The Government has rightly focused on growing the economy and raising living standards but in doing so, it must not overlook the importance of consumer protections in restoring confidence.
“People are sick to the teeth of having to dodge fraudsters when shopping online, watching out for rogue traders when making home improvements and needing to keep an eye out for dodgy pricing practices which mean that offers aren’t as good as they first appear.
“The right consumer protections give people the confidence to spend and the Government must place these protections at the heart of its plans to grow the economy.”