Big Winter Fuel Payment change means thousands will get £300 direct into bank account

A big change to Winter Fuel Payments has been made - as thousands will get £300 direct into bank accounts this winter. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revised the criteria for applying for the payment, worth up to £300, after the new Labour Party government decision.

Most households automatically receive the winter fuel payment, including those on pension credit. The cash is now only given to retirees on pension credit and several other means-tested benefits, after the Labour shake-up.

Under the new rules, all households claiming the following benefits do not need to apply for this year's winter fuel payment, unless they live abroad: Pension credit, Universal Credit, Income support, Income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA), Income-related employment support allowance (ESA), Child tax credit and Working tax credit.

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Only those living abroad and meeting certain conditions must apply for the cash this winter. If you do not live in the UK, you're only eligible for the winter fuel payment if you moved to an eligible country before January 1, 2021 or you were born before September 23, 1958.

And you're only eligible for the winter fuel payment if you have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK and having family in the UK. You only need to claim winter fuel payment if you've not got it since you moved abroad.

Otherwise, you'll get the payment automatically. When you contact the payment centre, you’ll need to tell them your personal details like your name and your address and your date of birth and your National Insurance number.

You can either call the helpline or send a letter by post. To claim by post, you'll need to fill in the winter fuel payment claim form and post it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

This will be available at www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim from September 30. You can also find the address to post it to here.