Changes to the Winter Fuel Payment: What you need to know
What is Winter Fuel Payment?
The majority of people born before 25th September 1957 were eligible for a payment of between £250 and £600 towards the cost of paying their heating bills. They did not need to be in receipt of Pension Credit or any other benefits.
What has changed?
The Government have announced that in order to continue to receive Winter Fuel Payment, people will also need to be claiming Pension Credit
What is Pension Credit?
Pension Credit is an extra payment for anyone who is above state pension age who is on a low income. It is separate from State Pension. It is also possible to qualify for Pension Credit even if own your own home, have savings or other income.
Qualifying for Pension Credit also means that help with other costs becomes available such as qualifying for a free TV licence for those aged 75 and over.
How will I know if I qualify?
A Pension Credit calculator is available online and can be found here
You will need to have details of any earnings, benefits, savings, investments and pensions. The same information will be needed for your partner, if you have one.
If you have a partner, they will also need to be over state pension age.
If you have tried to claim previously but were told that you were not eligible then you may want to re-apply if you have had a change in circumstances. This could be a change to your health or carer status.
How to claim
Applications can be made online, via telephone or via post. More information on this and what information will be needed in order to start a claim can be found here
Further help
More information about Pension Credit can be found on our website
You can also speak to one of our advisers. Details of how to get in touch with us can be found here
We also featured on Carla Greene’s show on BBC Radio Humberside to discuss the change made and what this means for millions of people. Listen back via BBC Sounds