Around 1.5 million people in the UK are eligible for this cash
Pensioners have been reminded to check their bank statements for a six-digit code to ensure they have received a £300 boost. Around 1.5 million older people in the UK are set to receive their Winter Fuel Payment.
Those eligible for the cash are pensioners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who were born before September 23, 1958, and are in receipt of certain benefits. As reported by Express.co.uk, they should have received a Winter Fuel Payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by now.
Everyone who is entitled to the money this year should have received it by January 29, 2025. To be sure if you have received the payment you should look for a six-digit code on your bank statement.
This will appear as your National Insurance number followed by the code “DWP WFP”. The payment is worth up to £300 and provides vital support to pensioner households struggling to afford their energy bills.
It was previously available to every person aged 66 and over but changes introduced by the Labour Government has now seen the payment restricted to pensioners receiving Pension Credit, or any of the means-tested benefits listed below:
- Universal Credit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit.
To qualify for this year’s payment you must have been claiming one of these benefits during the qualifying week of September 16 to 22 September, 2024. Most payments are automatically issued in November or December and you should have received a letter from the DWP telling you how much you’ll get and which bank account the money will be paid into.
However, if you did not receive a letter, or have not seen the money paid into their account by January 29, 2025, you should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0191 218 7777. And if you’re waiting for a Pension Credit decision you will get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically when your claim for Pension Credit is approved.
If you have applied for Pension Credit but haven’t received a decision yet, you do not need to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2024 to 2025 is March 31, 2025 and when you make a claim, you will need to provide evidence of the means-tested benefit you are getting.
