Those born before 1956 could be in with receiving a financial boost this winter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), to help with the rising cost of living.
The Winter Fuel Payment has been created to help UK households over the state pension age heat their properties, as the energy bills continue to rise. Coventry Live reports that the one-off payment is set to land in bank accounts in the coming months.
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The payment is designed by the DWP to help elderly people with their gas and electricity bills. It is available for anyone born on or before September 26, 1956. Typically, eligible pensioners will receive between £100 to £300 for their energy bills, dependent on age and means.
However, this year, the amount received will also include the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment - increasing the final potential payment to £600. If a person qualifies and lives alone (or none of the people they live with qualify), they could get:
- Born between September 25, 1942, and September 25, 1956: £500
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £600
If a qualifying person lives with someone under 80 years of age, who also qualifies, they could get:
- Born between September 25, 1942, and September 25, 1956: £250
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £350
If a qualifying person lives with someone who receives any of the following benefits: Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support, they could get:
- Born between September 25, 1942, and September 25, 1956: £500 (only one person will receive the payment)
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £600 (only one person will receive the payment)
If a person qualifies, lives in a care home and doesn’t get certain benefits, they could get:
- Born between September 25, 1942, and September 25, 1956: £250
- Born on or before September 25, 1942: £300
In order to be eligible for the payment, the person has to be:
- Over state pension age
must have lived in the UK for at least one day of the ‘qualifying week’ this year, which was September 19 - September 25, 2022
If you did not live in the country for that week you can still qualify if you can prove a genuine, sufficient link to the UK and if you lived in either Switzerland or a European Economic Area (EEA) country. If you receive state pension or another social security benefit the payment will be made automatically.
However, this does not include Adult Disability Payment from the Scottish Government, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit. A person would not qualify if:
- They’ve been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- They need permission to enter the UK and their granted leave states that they cannot claim public funds
- They were in prison for the whole week from September 19 to 25, 2022
- They lived in a care home for the whole time from June 27 to September 25, 2022, and received Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
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