DWP four-week deadline to claim £600 winter payment - see if you're eligible

The Winter Fuel Payment is being topped up this year with an extra cost of living payment

Older Brits who have yet to receive their Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £600 have just over four weeks left to make a claim.

The majority of people who are eligible for this extra support should have already received their payment. Most households were paid the Winter Fuel Payment automatically in their bank account in either November or December. But there are some cases where you may need to apply for it – and the deadline to do this is March 31 .

The Winter Fuel Payment is worth up to £300, depending on your living arrangements and circumstances, but everyone who is eligible this winter is also receiving an extra £300 pensioner cost of living payment on top of the standard Winter Fuel Payment.

This means some households will get up to £600. More than 11.4 million payments were made last year, including 36,000 to expats living abroad. Here is everything you need to know about the payment.

Who is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment?

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023/24 if you were born before September 25, 1957. You also need to have lived in the UK – although in some cases you can claim if you’ve moved abroad – for at least one day between September 18 to September 24, 2023.

This qualifying period changes every year but is normally the week beginning from the third Monday in September. Most people 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

Do I need to claim Winter Fuel Payment?

Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically, but some will need to apply. 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’re only eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if:

You moved to an eligible country before January 1, 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

You can use the contact details below to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre about putting in a claim.

How to contact Winter Fuel Payment Centre

You can contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre by post or by telephone. The number to call by phone from outside the UK is: 0191 218 7777. If you’re in the UK, the number is: 0800 731 0160. If you’re putting in a 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.

Who might not be eligible for Winter Fuel Payment

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