Over 11.6 million pensioners including over 20,000 in North West Norfolk have begun to receive up to £600 to help with their energy bills this winter, as prices are pushed up by Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
- This support, worth over £4.5 billion, is part of an extensive package helping people of all ages with the cost of heating their homes, including through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme [available to eligible households in England, Scotland and Wales], and the Energy Price Guarantee saving typical households £900.
From23 November 2022, over 11.6 million pensioners will start to receive payments of up to £600 to help with their energy bills this winter.
Winter Fuel Payments – boosted this year by an additional £300 per household Pensioner Cost of Living payment – will land in bank accounts over the next two months, the vast majority automatically.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said:
We want to do everything we can to support pensioners who are often the most exposed to higher costs. That’s why we’re providing all pensioner households with an additional £300 on top of their Winter Fuel Payments to heat their homes and stay warm this winter.
This extra payment is just one part of the wider support package we’re delivering to help with rising bills, including the biggest State Pension increase in history.
Our support doesn’t stop here. As we deal with the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the pandemic, we will continue to stand by the most vulnerable, with further cost of living payments coming next year.
The money will appear in bank statements with the payment reference starting with the customer’s national Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’.
The overwhelming majority of Winter Fuel Payments are paid automatically but some people need to make a claim, such as those who qualify but do not receive benefits or the State Pension and have never previously received a Winter Fuel Payment.
This month, over seven million payments of £324 have already been made to low-income households as part of this government’s cost of living support. This includes pensioners receiving Pension Credit.
The average Pension Credit award is worth over £3,500 a year, and for those pensioners who may be eligible but are yet to make an application, there is still time to do so and qualify for this additional £324 payment.
This is because Pension Credit claims can be backdated by up to three months, provided the entitlement conditions are met throughout that time.
To ensure that a successful backdated claim falls within the qualifying period for extra £324 cost of living help, pensioners are being urged to claim Pension Credit as soon as possible, and by no later than 18 December 2022.
The online Pension Credit calculator is on hand to help pensioners check if they’re likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive.
Further cost of living support to be paid next year was announced by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement last week. Payments will include a further £300 for pensioners, £900 for households on means-tested benefits and £150 for those on disability benefits.
- Further information to help pensioners work out how much they will receive is available on GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment: How much you’ll get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Most payments are made automatically in November or December, and should be received by 13 January 2023.
- Those who do not receive a payment by 13 January 2023 should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
- The overwhelming majority of pensioners will receive their payment automatically, but some people need to claim:
- If you have not got a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if any of the following apply:
- you do not get benefits or the State Pension
- the only benefit you get is Adult Disability Payment from the Scottish Government, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit
- you live in Switzerland or an EEA country
- If you have got a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if since your last payment you have either:
- deferred your State Pension
- moved to Switzerland or an EEA country
- If you have not got a Winter Fuel Payment before, you only need to claim if any of the following apply:
- Winter Fuel Payments can be claimed by phone or by post. Further information about claiming can be found here: Winter Fuel Pa
