Winter Fuel Payment 2024

Since the announcement that the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) will now be means tested, Age UK National’s initial estimate shows that as many as two million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it and will face a challenging winter as a result.

A big reason for this disastrous outcome is that more than one in three pensioners entitled to Pension Credit, the qualifying benefit for WFP under this proposal, don’t currently receive it. 

More than 800,000 older people living on very low incomes – under £218.25 a week for single pensioners and under £332.95 for couples – who are already missing out on the Pension Credit they are entitled to will now also lose the Winter Fuel Payment that helps them to pay their energy bills.

In addition, there are also about one million pensioners whose weekly incomes are less than £50 per week above the Pension Credit line, who will also be hit hard by the loss of the Payment. Older people in Norfolk often tell us they struggle financially in the winter months so the proposed change will now make it even harder for them to afford to stay warm later in the year.  

Finally, there is a third group who will find it extremely difficult to heat their homes adequately this winter as a result of the proposed change.  These are older people whose incomes are a little higher though still limited, but who are seriously unwell so have to stay warm, and/or who live in energy inefficient homes and so face extremely high fuel bills through no fault of their own.

Means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, could potentially jeopardise the health of older people – the last thing they or the NHS needs.

(Source: Age UK National)