The eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment have changed (Image: Getty)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has shed light on the eligibility criteria for a £300 payment, following an MP’s question about the policy.
The question comes after the qualifying rules for the , worth £200 or £300 this winter, were altered last year.
Previously, the one-off amount was given to most age individuals, but now you also have to be claiming a qualifying means-tested benefit like Pension Credit.
Conservative MP Alberto Costa questioned whether the had considered there to be any difference between pensioners in care homes and those in assisted living, when it set the new eligibility terms.
As stated on the , you can receive the payment “if you live in a care home” provided you are also on one of the qualifying benefits.
For this winter’s payment, you must also have lived in the care home for less than 13 weeks, including the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, which is the qualifying week for the payment.
However, the guidance further clarifies that you will not be eligible for the payment if you “were living in a care home for the whole time from 24 June to 22 September 2024”.
Responding to Mr Costa’s query, pensions minister Torsten Bell outlined some important additional restrictions on the eligibility for the payment.
Mr Bell explained: “Pensioners who are in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit, and who live in a care home are not entitled to a . This is because most will have their care and accommodation costs met by the local authority.”
He also clarified what counts as a care home for the qualifying criteria, noting that it is defined in line with the Care Standards Act 2000 in England and the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 in Wales. The minister further stated that assisted living accommodation “does not fall under this definition”.
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Who is eligible for the DWP Winter Fuel Payment?
Individuals are eligible for the for Winter 2024 to 2025 if they were born on or before September 23, 1958, and reside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, providing they were receiving a qualifying benefit between September 16 and 22.
You also need to be receiving one of these benefits, during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024:
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).