State pensioners who are eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £600 have started to receive letters from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The Winter Fuel Payment is normally worth up to £300, depending on your living arrangements and circumstances, but the Government is adding an extra £300 pensioner cost of living payment on top to help with rising bills.

If you're eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, then you'll automatically receive the pensioner cost of living payment as well. This means some households will get up to £600 this winter.

The payments start next month and on the Gov.uk website, the DWP states those who are automatically eligible for it will receive a letter in October or November. Most people normally then receive the money in November or December.

More than 11.4 million payments were made last year, including to 36,000 to expats living abroad. You need to have been born before September 25, 1957 to get the Winter Fuel Payment.

In most cases, you also need to have lived in the UK for at least one day between September 18 to September 24, 2023, although there are some exceptions to this, which you can read below. The majority of households who receive the following benefits will get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically:

  • State Pension

  • Pension Credit

  • Attendance Allowance

  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

  • Carers Allowance

  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

  • Income Support

  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

  • awards from the War Pensions Scheme

  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

  • Incapacity Benefit

  • Industrial Death Benefit

You may need to apply if you don't receive these benefits, you’ve deferred your state pension, or you live abroad. If you do not live in the UK, you may still be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if:

  • You moved to an eligible country before 1 January 2021

  • You were born before September 25, 1957

  • You have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK, and having family in the UK

If you do need to claim, you can do this by post or telephone. If you’re claiming by post, you’ll need to download the relevant form, depending on where you live, and send it to: Winter Fuel Payment Centre, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1ZU, UK.

To apply by phone, the number is: 0191 218 7777. The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2023/24 is March 31, 2024.

But there are certain circumstances where you won’t be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. This includes if you:

  • Have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year

  • 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 18 to 24 September, 2023

If you live in a care home, you won’t receive the payment if both the following apply:

  • You get Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

  • You lived in a care home for the whole time from June 26 to September 24, 2023