Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have announced that four groups of people will not receive the winter fuel payment, despite meeting the key age criteria. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has reinstated the payment for 9 million pensioners this winter.
The winter fuel payment provides individuals with between £200 – £300 depending on their circumstances – they must be of a certain age and earn £35,000 or less in taxable income. The DWP has stated that the winter fuel payment for 2025 to 2026 will be given to everyone in England and Wales born before September 22, 1959.
Eligible individuals will receive a letter in October or November informing them of how much Winter Fuel Payment they’ll receive. However, there are actually four groups of people who will not be eligible even if they were born here and meet the cash and age criteria, reports Wales Online.
People will not be eligible if they:
- live outside England and Wales
- were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025 and the year before that need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public funds
- were in prison for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025
- If they live in a care home
You will not be eligible if both of the following apply:
- they get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- they lived in a care home for the whole time from 23 June 2025 or earlier
If your income is over £35,000
HMRC will take your Winter Fuel Payment back by either:
- changing your tax code for the 2026 to 2027 tax year
- adding the amount to your 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment tax return
Meanwhile, household energy bills are predicted to increase by around 1% in October despite lower wholesale costs, according to new forecasts.
The average household energy bill is expected to rise by £17 to £1,737 per year when regulator Ofgem’s new price cap comes into effect, experts at Cornwall Insight have predicted.
Ofgem, which sets the limit on what energy companies can charge customers, is set to confirm its latest price cap on August 27.
Cornwall Insight’s latest prediction represents a reversal from its previous July forecast, which suggested bills would fall by 1% from the current £1,720 in October owing to reduced Middle East tensions.
Cornwall stated its forecast reflected alterations it expected Ofgem would implement in the forthcoming cap period, including expanding the Warm Home Discount scheme for vulnerable households that would add approximately £15 to a typical bill, whilst also delivering £150 in support to 2.7 million additional people.
Nevertheless, it also observed that wholesale prices for electricity and gas had been “volatile”, largely reflecting geopolitical factors including uncertainty over US trade policy.
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