Are you 66 or over and qualify for Winter Fuel Payment? Deadline - 21 December 2024.
The deadline to apply and qualify for Winter Fuel payment is Saturday, 21 December 2024.
Who is eligible?
You need to be in receipt of Pension Credit to apply for the Winter Fuel payment.
A quick guide to Pension Credit entitlement
There are four main questions when considering whether a pensioner may get Pension Credit:
- How old are they?
- If they have a partner who lives with them, how old is their partner?
- What is their weekly income? Is it less that £218.15 if they are single or £332.95 if they are a couple?
- Do they have any savings of less than £10,000?
People who have more income or savings than this may still qualify for Pension Credit. But these questions are a good basic indication of who is likely to qualify.
If they are over 65 and reached their State Pension age before 6 April 2016, they could still qualify for Pension Credit if their weekly income is less than:
- £260.68 - if they are single
- £380.55 - if they are a couple
In addition, if you claim Pension Credit, you may also be able to get other heating costs, help with rent and Council Tax, a free TV Licence for those aged 75 or over and help with NHS Services such as dental treatment, glasses, transport costs for hospital appointments.
Check your eligibility at gov.uk/pension-credit
or call 0800 99 1234.
It is estimated that up to 760,000 pensioner households may be entitled to Pension Credit, but do not claim it.
Some pensioners think because they've got savings or own their home, they would not get any Pension Credit. Reaching these people is not always easy, but they may be more open to listening to people they trust. This might include:
- health visitors
- home help
- day care centre staff
- welfare advisers
- their General Practitioner (GP) and staff at the surgery
- the local pharmacist who prepares their prescriptions
- people at the Post Office where they collect their pension
- local councils
- friends and family
Do you think you may be eligible or know someone that might be?
More information about Pension Credit can be found here: Pension Credit: Overview - GOV.UK