Winter Fuel Payment warning: Pensioners have hours left to apply for £300 energy bill support – how to claim

Pensioners have just hours left to apply for Pension Credit if they want to qualify for next year’s Winter Fuel Payment, with the crucial deadline falling at 11.59pm tonight. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an urgent reminder about the December 21 cut-off date for applications.

The deadline is particularly significant as recent changes mean the Winter Fuel Allowance will be limited to those claiming Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits. Successful applicants could receive vital support with heating costs through the 2024/25 winter period.

Pensioners can submit their applications online until 11.59pm tonight. For those preferring to apply by phone, the DWP claim lines will be operating from 8am to 3.15pm today.

In recent months, the Labour Government has bolstered its support services, with around 500 additional staff in the DWP deployed to help process Pension Credit applications.

A Government spokesperson said: “We continue to urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to pension credit to check now, as all eligible claims can be backdated, and anyone who makes a successful claim before December 21 will receive their payment.”

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The scale of unclaimed support is significant, with the Government estimating 760,000 pensioner households are eligible for pension credit but have not claimed it. The number of pensioners receiving the winter fuel payment is set to dramatically decrease from 11.4 million to 1.5 million.

This reduction comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance in July, limiting it to those on pension credit or means-tested benefits.

“Over one million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment, and our drive to boost Pension Credit take-up has seen applications more than double with over 40,000 more pensioners now receiving it,” the Government spokesperson added.

Financial analysts have emphasised the importance of checking eligibility before the deadline. Jon Greer, head of retirement policy at Quilter, said: “It is vitally important that pensioners on low incomes check their eligibility.”

Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, explained: “Even a claim for a small amount of pension credit top-up during the qualifying week of September 16 to 22 should trigger a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300.”

Selby added: “Because of the way the backdating rules work, the deadline for making a claim for this period is on December 21.” Pension credit provides essential financial support, topping up weekly incomes to £218.15 for single pensioners.

For those with partners, the joint weekly income is topped up to £332.95. The benefit serves as a gateway to additional support with living costs. Disabled pensioners can receive extra support through disability benefits.

Despite this, recent Government figures suggest that many pensioners hoping to claim the energy bill benefit are finding their applications rejected despite the ongoing cost of living crisis.

As of April 1, there have been 215,200 applications for Pension Credit from older Britons. Out of this group, around 161,800 claims have been processed, resulting in a backlog of 53,400.

These DWP figures reveal a dramatic hike in applications since Reeves announced changes to the allowance, going up by 145 per cent with around 150,000 being sent.

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Notably, half of those applying for Pension Credit are seeing their claims rejected. As of early April 81,500 applicants have been unsuccessful which is only 500 more than were approved.

Caroline Abrahams, the charity director of Age UK, said: “It’s a massive disappointment to see so many older people applying for Pension Credit and being turned down because they are ineligible,” she says.

“Because the process of applying for Pension Credit requires you to fill in a relatively comprehensive form you wouldn’t bother unless you really need the money, so these statistics also reflect the acute concern felt by many older people at the loss of their Winter Fuel Payment.

“There’s still time for the Treasury to soften the blow on pensioners living on low and modest incomes before the worst consequences of its policy change play out this winter, but only just.”