Exact date hundreds of thousands of households need claim key benefit to qualify for £300 winter fuel payment

HUNDREDS of thousands of households will need to claim a key benefit to qualify for a winter fuel payment later this year.

If they fail to apply before the deadline, families in need of extra support risk losing out on an additional £300 in free cash.

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Over 800,000 households are eligible for pension credit but aren’t claiming the benefit.

However, following a shake-up to the winter fuel payment scheme, it’s now vital these households apply for pension credit to qualify.

Aorund 10million pensioners will no longer be eligible for winter fuel payments as part of cuts made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The £300 government handout was previously available to everyone aged above 66 and helped with pricey energy costs.

However, Ms Reeves said on Monday that the cash would only be given to retirees on pension credit, or other means-tested benefits.

Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.

This is known as “guarantee credit”.

It can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.

However, to qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment, you must have been claiming pension credit payments during the qualifying week.

This will take place between September 16 and 22.​

It’s wise to put in an application as soon as possible, as the DWP can take up to two months to process new claims.

However, new claims for pension credit can be backdated by three months.

This means that the absolute deadline to claim the benefit and qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment is December 21.

If you fail to apply for the benefit before this date, you won’t qualify for this year’s £300 winter fuel payment.

A government spokesperson said: “This government is committed to pensioners – protecting the triple lock, keeping energy bills low through our Warm Homes Plan, and cutting NHS waiting lists – bringing real stability to people’s lives.

“We said we would be honest with the public and, given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, this government must take difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy.

“In these circumstances, it is right that Winter Fuel Payments are targeted at those in most need, and we will work with Local Authorities to boost the uptake of pension credit, reaching the many pensioners who could still benefit from this year’s winter fuel payments.”

CHECK IF YOU QUALIFY

Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.

This is known as “guarantee credit”.

If your income is lower than this, you’re very likely to be eligible for the benefit.

However, if your income is slightly higher, you might still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.

You could get an extra £81.50 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:

• Attendance allowance
• The middle or highest rate from the care component of disability living allowance (DLA)
• The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
• Armed forces independence payment
• The daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate.

You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:

• You reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016
• You saved some money for retirement, for example, a personal or workplace pension

This part of pension credit is worth £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.

Pension credit opens the door to other support, including housing benefits, cost of living payments, council tax reductions and the winter fuel payment.

Claims for pension credit also open doors to a number of freebies and discounts.

For example, pension credit claimants over 75 qualify for a free TV licence worth up to £169.50 a year.

Claims for the benefit also provide eligibility to £25 a week cold weather payments and the £150 warm home discount.

We have a guide on all the state pension freebies and discounts you can get.