DWP issues alert over letters landing on doorsteps worth free £300 or £200

The DWP will begin sending letters to pensioners who qualify for the payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the end of October.

The Department for Work and Pensions letters about a £300 Winter Fuel Payment are set to land on doorsteps in a major boost for state pensioners who are eligible. The DWP will begin sending letters to pensioners who qualify for the payment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the end of October.

If you were born before 23 September 1958 you could get either £200 or £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2024 to 2025. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’. You may be eligible if you or your partner get certain benefits. You will not get the extra Pensioner Cost of Living Payment given in 2022 and 2023. It stopped in winter 2023.

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for Winter 2024 to 2025 if you were born before 23 September 1958. You must also live in England or Wales and get one of the following: Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit.

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You’ll also need to have been getting a benefit during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024. You will not be eligible if you live in Scotland or have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year or were in prison for the whole of the week of 16 to 22 September 2024 or were living in a care home for the whole time from 24 June to 22 September 2024.

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you get certain benefits and are eligible or you have lived in a care home for less than 13 weeks including the week of 16 to 22 September 2024. You’ll get a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get, if you’re eligible.