DWP sending letter to state pensioners who are owed free £300 each

The DWP letters will start landing on doorsteps from mid-October and will explain the new eligibility criteria for Winter Fuel Payment.

The Department for Work and Pensions will send millions of pensioners letters this month about a free £300 winter payment. The DWP letters will start landing on doorsteps from mid-October and will explain the new eligibility criteria for Winter Fuel Payment.

The DWP Winter Fuel Allowance letter will explain the £300 benefit in full, alongside this it will urge low-income pensioners to put in a claim for Pension Credit Shivani Raja from the Conservative Party who represented Leicester East reached out "to ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to communicate the changes to Winter Fuel Payments to people affected; and what support she plans to provide to help pensioners (a) understand their eligibility and (b) access alternative support."

DWP minister Emma Reynolds said: "From mid-October, all pensioners will receive a letter explaining the changes to Winter Fuel Payments this year and encouraging anyone who may eligible to claim Pension Credit by 21st December. The Winter Fuel Payment page on Gov.uk has been updated with the new eligibility rules.

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"The Department will proceed at pace with its communication campaign to raise awareness of the changes and to promote Pension Credit. This will be followed by a Paid Partnership and national media campaign. There will then be continued marketing activity promoting the take-up of Pension Credit.

"The Household Support Fund is also being extended for a further six months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the HSF in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

"The Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales provides eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate on their electricity bill. This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme."