Pensioners will be getting their £300 Winter Fuel Payments this week (Image: Getty)
State pensioners up and down the UK are waking up £300 better off this week as those who are eligible to receive a are beginning to receive the money.
The controversial changes to rules this winter mean that millions of pensioners who would normally receive the £200 to £300 payment will no longer get the cash this winter.
Instead, the benefit has been made means tested, so only those claiming a qualifying benefit successfully, such as Pension Credit, will be sent the money – and even then, only those who get their claim in before mid-December.
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But for those who have successfully claimed the , the money is being paid out this week.
And thousands of state pensioners will have already woken up to find £200 in their bank account today, or £300 if they are aged over 75.
Those who aren’t sure if they have received the money are being told to check for a three digit number on their bank statement which signifies that they have had the money in.
The said: “The vast majority of these payments will land in pensioners’ bank accounts automatically, directly helping vulnerable households with their energy bills. The value of a is £200 for people born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958, and £300 for those born before 23 September 1944.
“The payment will be credited to bank accounts from 25 November with the payment reference beginning with the customer’s National Insurance number followed by ‘ WFP’. Those who do not receive a payment by 29 January 2025 should contact the department.”
The Department for Work and Pensions is urging pensioners on low incomes to claim Pension Credit, worth up to £3,900 a year.
It added: “Pension Credit could be worth on average up to £3,900 a year and acts as a gateway to other important benefits including help with housing costs, council tax reductions and NHS treatment costs. The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will soon be worth £227.10 a week for a single person and £346.60 for a couple.”