£300 payments to enter bank accounts of state pensioners in November

Around 1.5 million pensioners are being told to expect payments of up to £300 to land in their bank accounts from November. Some of the poorest pensioners will be receiving their Winter Fuel Payments from the Government.

It's either a £200 or £300 payment designed to help older people on low incomes with their energy bills during the cold winter months. The money will be paid out from mid-November to Christmas, meaning some could be waiting a little longer before the boost arrives.

But the way Winter Fuel Payments are being given out this year is hugely controversial. That's because not all state pensioners will get them like in previous years.

READ MORE: DWP sends urgent message to people on these benefits and says 'you will lose payments'

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Only those who get Pension Credit and certain other benefits will qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment this year. The decision to strip pensioners of money has been the most contentious decision from the new Labour Government so far.

It means around 10 million older people will no longer receive the payment. While some of those will be wealthy enough to be able to live without the support, campaigners say around two million on low incomes desperately need it.

It comes amid a continued push for people who don't claim Pension Credit but could be eligible to apply. Even if some only stand to get a few pounds in Pension Credit, it will enable them to receive the Winter Fuel Payment. Hundreds of thousands don't claim Pension Credit despite being eligible.

Age UK said: "Since the announcement that the Winter Fuel Payment will now be means tested, Age UK National’s initial estimate shows that as many as two million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it and will face a challenging winter as a result. A big reason for this disastrous outcome is that more than one in three pensioners entitled to Pension Credit, the qualifying benefit for WFP under this proposal, don’t currently receive it."