When DWP Winter Fuel Payments will be made this year as Pension Credit deadline looms

Winter Fuel Payments have been a topic of controversy after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the eligibility criteria would be tightening, cutting hundreds of thousands of Brits from the seasonal £200 or £300 payments. But how will the system be changing for those who are still eligible?

For the most part, the DWP will be running Winter Fuel Payments in the same process as last year, starting with a letter eligible Brits should receive in either October or November. This letter details how much you are due and clarifies the bank account it will be paid into, which will usually be the same account where you receive your Pension Credit or other benefit payments.

If you aren’t able to open or manage the account that will be paid you can request to receive the payment through the Payment Exception Service. Regardless of which method you choose, the payment should be made automatically between November and December, however, the DWP website notes that it could take up to March to send the money through so pensioners don’t need to fear they’ve been forgotten until then.

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On the other hand, if you don’t receive a letter or if you do not receive a payment before January 29, 2025, you can contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. You’ll also need to contact the centre if you wish to return a payment or if you want to cancel future payments.

This year, many people have claimed Pension Credit for the first time due to the extra qualifying criteria for Winter Fuel Payments. Depending on when they make their application, these people may face a slightly different process when it comes to claiming their seasonal payment.

Money Helper notes that people can claim pension credit up to December 21, 2024, and still be eligible for this year’s Winter Fuel Payment. However, those making late claims should be aware that due to a high volume of applicants, it can take 6 to 8 weeks to process new Pension Credit claims.

This is because Pension Credit can be backdated by up to 3 months, and people need to be eligible, if not applying for or already receiving, Pension Credit during the qualifying week for Winter Fuel Payments, which was September 16 to 22.