More than 11 million pensioners will start getting payments of up to £600 from today as part of Government help with the rising cost of living and energy bills.
The payments include the Winter Fuel Payment along with an extra £300 payment for pensioner households. This extra £300 payment was announced back in May by Rishi Sunak as part of the Government’s cost of living package.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “We want to do everything we can to support pensioners who are often the most exposed to higher costs”.
“That’s why we’re providing all pensioner households with an additional £300 on top of their Winter Fuel Payments to heat their homes and stay warm this winter.”
This payment is on top of the £400 energy bill grant being given to households in England, Scotland and Wales.
Who gets the £600?
Around 11.6 million pensioners will start to see payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) start landing in their bank accounts.
Some pensioners may already have received payments of £324 this month as part of the Government’s cost of living support. This is being paid to low-income households including pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit.
From April 2023 there will also be further support for pensioner households with another £300 payment due to be made to 8 million pensioner households.
But, the Government has yet to confirm any further details along with the timing of these payments.
No need to claim – payments go straight to your bank account
Most pensioners will automatically get the payment made to their bank account. Payments start today and may be made at any time within the next two months.
The credit should appear in your account with a payment reference starting with your National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’ for those in Great Britain and ‘DFC WFP’ for households in Northern Ireland.
If you do not receive payment by 13 January 2023 and think you’re due one – the DWP suggest you contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
Watch out for scams
If you’re due a payment it will usually be made directly to your bank account with no need to apply.
Even if you haven’t received your expected payment - you should ignore any calls, emails or texts from anyone claiming to be from DWP.
Fraudsters have been targetting households and asking for bank details to make the cost of living payments and this has included the £150 council rebate.
If you don’t receive payment and want to chase it up – you should contact the Department for Work and Pensions directly.
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