Winter fuel allowance

Here is the statement from Gov.UK website.

If you were born on or before 5 April 1954 you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.

You usually get a Winter Fuel Payment automatically if you are eligible and you get the State Pension or another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit).

If you’re eligible but do not get paid automatically, you will need to make a claim.

At least I know where it's going, goodness knows what the government would do with it
Good point Callistemon.

Mine comes in very handy for the extra fuel in winter, and i think going by how freezing cold it is here tonight we will need it, my £10 will go to the Humane society
Also if we get freezing weather for 7 nights in a row we get another £25, as far as i know that hasn't been stopped
When David Cameron became PM the first thing he cut was the winter fuel allowance by £50

Mine will also go towards paying for the oil delivery (ordered for 2nd week in December). I am glad those who can afford to give it to charity but it many older people are living on just the state pension and without the WFA would be unable to heat their homes in winter

Mine is very much needed,and gratefully received,as is the £10.

Older people generally do need warmer houses and if it was a benefit which had to be claimed many wouldn’t do it and suffer - possibly fatally. Much better to send it to everyone.

Ours has gone to charities in the past but this year it’s going our DC who haven’t had pay rises in five years and are in greater need.

There is no means of sending it back anyway.

Anyone who doesnt need it - and I know many do - can give it to one of the charities who will almost certainly make better use of it than the govt. would.

The Sally Army is a favourite of mine at Christmas. Some years ago, very soon before Christmas, I won a big hamper of goodies and wine. We were expecting a houseful and already had plenty of everything either in or ordered, so I felt really bad to win something we didn't need when someone else could surely really do with it.

In the end I phoned the local SA and someone came literally within half an hour to collect it.

I started receiving my pension in May and have had a letter saying £100 will go in to my account as if you are both entitled it is divided between you.
How daft is that, so we can pay to heat a floor each. Not saying we should have £200 each, why not just continue to pay it all to DH

My allowance is spent on keeping GC warm, youngest one has to wear adult shoes now and a pair of boots last week cost me more than the WFP.

I sometimes think people feel it is a sign of weakness to look things up! This is what you would be entitled to.

Born between 23 September 1939 and 5 April 1954

You qualify and live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify) - £200

You qualify and live with someone under 80 who also qualifies - £100

You qualify and live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies - £100

You qualify, live in a care home and do not get certain benefits
£100

Born on or before 22 September 1939

You qualify and live alone (or none of the people you live with qualify) - £300

You qualify and live with someone under 80 who also qualifies
£200

You qualify and live with someone 80 or over who also qualifies - £150

You qualify, live in a care home and do not get certain benefits - £150

To know if you qualify it's here: www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility

All benefits are means-tested in that they are offset by the tax you pay according to income. That is the way our system has involved so never mind paying tax or taking a benefit. It's what is supposed to happen and you are not a better person for not doing either.

I got my first WFA payment automatically, no letter came but I noticed it in my account. I really appreciate it (although I don't really need it) as it's so important to keep warm when we're older.

Means testing is very expensive with all the admin and fraud checking involved, wasteful, in fact. It seems sensible, to me, that it's a universal payment.

I regard it as part of my annual state pension, given in a lump sum when needed most. I get £100, so if it were doled out weekly it would be less than £2 on my pension. I love getting that WFP. How lucky some of you are not to need it.

My husband gets it, and we're very thankful for it, wait and watch for it hitting the bank account

There is no point sending it back Ellen, it just causes confusion and admin costs. Much better , if you don’t need the allowance to just donate it to a charity of your choice. I remember a few years ago Rod Stewart tried to cancel getting the Winter Fuel Allowance as he clearly didn’t need it and found that it is impossible to do. He just accepted it gratefully and donated it. If we don’t need ours we should do the same.

Well said grannytotwins. As I have said (often), if we each got a living pension of, say, a set sum of £12,500 (losing our personal tax allowance in the process) we would not need these "extras" or income-related benefits (except for housing) and it would be a boost to the economy.

But apparently, we can live on less than those in other countries.

Money already gone before winter really here. Dont know how i will manage. A few more ccj's' probably. What a horrible end to a life.

grannytotwins the point of governments giving these allowances eg the WFA, free TV licences to over 75s, etc, is that they can take them away.

If they gave us the increase in the State Pension instead they couldn't rescind that.
Crafty move!

I could have looked it up quite easily but thank you for that Gracesgran
DH will get extra this year and he is spending more time indoors in the warm so it will help.

I am so sorry for some.
As I said, I know I am so very lucky to be able to do this.
It was not always so.
I have lived through some very hard times and I know what real poverty is.
I am very grateful for my blessings.

GracesGranMK3 Sat 30-Nov-19 08:16:12
I sometimes think people feel it is a sign of weakness to look things up!

I looked up that very info a couple of days ago for my mum - she was convinced that she had never been paid £300 before, and was worried that it was a mistake.

However, I can understand why people often ask such questions here on Gransnet, as it can prove both quicker and clearer than a Google search.

Actually, I did look it up myself afterwards but, as MamaCaz says, it is useful to have it explained clearly on here.

My DH was 80 this year, and received a WFA payment of £200.00. I received the usual £100.00.

As to someone upthread who asked, " why doesn't DH get the whole amount of £200.00, instead of splitting it"?

I can only think that, in some cases, partners may be kept short of money, and need control over their finances.

Our heating allowance came the other day. I won't be sending it back. As the buggers they are not giving me a free tv licence anymore, I intend to cherish anything I do get out of them. And that includes my £10 Xmas bonus (Now, what shall I spend that on? )

Blondenana the cold weather payment has changed and now goes to anyone on benefits. In this instance state pension is not regarded as a benefit.

Here in Ireland our fuel allowance is 22.50 euros per week for 28 weeks, amounting to 630 euros per annum ( going up to 24.50 euros (686 euros p.a.) from 6th Jan. We elect which bill we would like it paid into. In my house we have it taken off the gas bills.
We get a Christmas bonus of 1 weeks state pension so next week DP & I will each get an extra 248.30 euros (more if you are 80+) for Christmas treats.
We get free tv licences from age 66 and free travel on trams, buses and trains throughout the state.
I am a UK citizen living here & I have to say that older people are better treated than in the UK.