State pensioners across the UK who were born before 1953 can collect £475 before Christmas.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued a reminder to people of state pension age to check their eligibility for extra financial support this winter, as there are several schemes offering freebies.
Eligible pensioners can get a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300, a Warm Homes Discount worth £150, and a Cold Weather Payment worth £25 – making a total of £475 of free cash.
Pensioners claiming Pension Credit will qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment this year, which is worth up to £300. The DWP says it only takes 16 minutes on average to apply and if you make a successful claim before December 21 you’ll get both backdated Pension Credit and a Winter Fuel Payment.
You must have reached State Pension age to qualify for Pension Credit and have an income less than £218.15 per week (or £332.95 if you’re a couple). If your income is between £218 and £235 per week (or £333 to £350 for couples) then you may still qualify, but it will depend on your circumstances.
It means that pensioners who claim the Basic State Pension should be eligible for Pension Credit as this only amounts to £169.50. As such if you’re a man born on or after April 6, 1951, or a woman born on or after April 6, 1953, you can apply for the benefit and in turn qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.
If you were born before 1953 and get the New State Pension, you’ll be paid at a rate of £221.20 per week which is above the threshold for Pension Credit eligibility.
In this case you may not be eligible for Pension Credit or the Winter Fuel Payment as your income is too high, unless the amount you get is lower due to missing National Insurance qualifying years, for example.
Those who do meet the criteria for Pension Credit should get the Winter Fuel Payment, which is worth either £200 or £300, to help cover the cost of heating bills this winter.
It is paid automatically in November or December and you should get a letter telling you how much you’re entitled to, and which account the money will be paid into.
Pensioners born before 1953 could also qualify for the Warm Home Discount scheme, which provides a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. The discount is paid automatically by your energy supplier and applied straight to your bill. You’ll qualify for this if all of these three criteria applied on August 11, 2024:
If you qualify, your electricity supplier will automatically apply the discount to your bill between early now and March 31, 2025.
Additionally, the DWP has started issuing Cold Weather Payments to eligible households, giving those who are eligible an automatic bank top-up of £25. This is paid when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0C or below for seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to an eligible person’s postcode.
The money will appear in your bank within 14 days between now and March 31, 2025, and the payment reference will start with your National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP CWP’.
