e-mail Paul Lewis on paul@paullewis.co.uk
Anyone born on September 23 1941 or earlier can get a tax free winter fuel payment of up to £200 this winter. The payment is made to anyone who is 60 on or before September 23 2001. The standard payment of £200 is paid to a person of 60 or more who lives alone or with people who are all under 60. Couples aged 60 or more will get £100 each as will people over 60 who live in a household with other over-60s. Some people do not get the payment. They include people in jail, those who live outside the UK, people who have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks, and those who are in a residential care or nursing home and get help with their fees through income support.
Anyone who has received the payment before will be paid automatically. And so will those who are getting a retirement pension. But people who are over 60 but do not get a retirement pension and have not claimed before may have to claim to get this year’s payment. People who were eligible for some past winters may still be able to claim backdated payments. If you were 60 by 26 September 1999 and living in the UK at the time but have not had a payment in the past, you may have a claim. The payments and qualifying dates for Winter Fuel Payments years are:-
| Winter | Born on or before | Full amount | Half amount |
| 1997/98 | 11 January 1938 | £20 | £10 |
| 1998/99 | 15 November 1938 | £20 | £10 |
| 1999/2000 | 26 September 1939 | £100 | £50 |
| 2000/01 | NOW TOO LATE TO CLAIM A PAYMENT | [was £200] | [was £100] |
| 2001/02 | 23 September 1941 | £200 | £100 |
More information on the Department for Work and Pensions helpline 08459 151515 or the Department for Work and Pensions website, where you can also download a claim form. The Department for Work and Pensions is the new name for the Department of Social Security. The DWP has kept responsibility for all benefits and pensions except war disablement and war widows pensions. They are still paid by the War Pensions Agency but that is now part of the Ministry of Defence.
November 2001
e-mail Paul Lewis on paul@paullewis.co.uk