DWP opens applications for a free £300 payment
The Department for Work and Pensions has issued a new update today for those who need to claim a £300 Winter Fuel Payment. Thousands of Brits can apply for this year's £300 Winter Fuel Payment from this week, the DWP has said.
Pensioners who live abroad and are eligible for this year's payment can apply for the £300 cash by post, week commencing September 30 (yesterday, Monday). You can still be eligible for the money if you live outside of the UK.
If you do not live in the UK, you’re only eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if you were born before 23 September 1958 and you are getting a benefit paid by the UK, for example a State Pension and you moved to an eligible country before 31 December 2020 and are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and 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.
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You must also be getting a qualifying means-tested benefit from the country you live in that is equivalent to Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), or alternatively, either income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit.
You must live in an eligible EEA country or Switzerland to get a Winter Fuel Payment. Eligible countries include: Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland Germany Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Slovakia Slovenia Sweden Switzerland.
You can claim Winter Fuel Payment by post - from 30 September 2024 or by phone - from 28 October 2024. The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2024 to 2025 is 31 March 2025, the DWP has also said.