Discover what it is, how to claim it – and lots of other helpful stuff.
The Winter Fuel Allowance is a tax-free payment of £100 to £300 from the government to help people who were born on or before 5 August 1953 pay for their heating bills. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.
It’s different to
Cold Weather Payments and the
Warm Home Discount.
You need to claim Winter Fuel Payment if you’ve not had it before, and any of the following apply:
You also need to claim Winter Fuel Payment if you’ve deferred your State Pension, even if you had it before. You only need to do this once.
You can claim it for the first time from the Winter Fuel Payment helpline by calling 03459 15 15 15 or by filling out their form and posting it to:
Winter Fuel Payment Centre
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1LR
Or, if you’re in another EEA country or Switzerland, use this form instead and post it to:
Winter Fuel Payment Centre
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1ZU
UK
You won’t qualify if you:
You have until 31 March 2018 to claim for winter 2017 to 2018, according to Gov.uk.
Most payments are made automatically between November and December. You should get yours by 31 December.
If the money hasn’t been paid into your account by 15 January 2018, call the office that pays your benefits – their details are on any letters they sent you.
It was introduced by the Labour government in 1997.
You’ll qualify for Winter Fuel Payment if:
You may be able to get the payment if you live in Switzerland or a
European Economic Area (EEA) country and you have a genuine link with the UK.
It’s a tax-free payment of £100 to £300, and it won’t affect your other benefits.
How much you get will depend on your circumstances during the qualifying week (that’s 18 to 24 September 2017 for winter 2017 to 2018).
You may be able to get the payment if you live in Switzerland or a European Economic Area (EEA) country and you have a genuine link with the UK.
You can’t get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.
No, it’s not means-tested. In other words, the amount of income and capital you have will not affect your eligibility.
No. It’s only for people who were born on or before 5 August 1953. However, you might be eligible for the
Cold Weather Payment.
No. It’s only for people who were born on or before 5 August 1953. However, you might be eligible for the
Warm Home Discount.
If you have a disability, you can get the Winter Fuel Payment if you were were born on or before 5 August 1953.
Find out everything you need to know about Direct Debits – and every other way to pay.
Discover the different elements that make up your energy bill.
Find out ‘what’ to do and ‘where’ to get support when you can’t pay your bills.
Find out how to get one if your balance is too high.
Discover what they are – and why we send them.
Find out how to read your OVO energy bill – and what all the different bits mean.
OVO Interest Reward is where we pay you interest on your credit balances.
Find out what it is, how you get it – and everything in between.
Find out what they are, how you qualify – and everything else you need to know.
Find out how to get a copy of your statement – and how to ‘go paperless’.
From what they are and how to apply, to everything else you need to know.
Everything you need to know about Direct Debit reviews.
See how you can set up your new direct debit or edit your existing details.
See how we calculate your Direct Debit amount and why it might change over the course of your contract.