By James Rodger
Copyright birminghammail
Three payments are coming for state pensioners this winter – giving them £460 – before Christmas . State pensioners are set to get a boost of up to £460 from the Department for Work and Pensions, or DWP, this winter. As the weather turns and energy bills rise, state pensioners are owed a £300 Winter Fuel Payment, £150 Warm Home Discount and £10 Christmas Bonus. Nine million pensioners to receive Winter Fuel Payments this winter as all pensioners in England and Wales with an income of, or below, £35,000 a year will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment. READ MORE UK households with white walls warned as epidemic starts to sweep England No pensioner will need to take any action as they will automatically receive the payment this winter, and for those with incomes above the threshold it will be automatically recovered via HMRC. The payment of £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over 80, will be made automatically this winter. Over 12 million pensioners across the United Kingdom will also benefit from the Triple Lock, with their State Pension set to increase by up to £1,900 this parliament. Pensioners above the £35,000 threshold will have the full amount of the Winter Fuel Payment they received automatically collected via PAYE, or via their Self-Assessment return. The Warm Home Discount Scheme will give people on certain benefits £150 off their electricity bill. It’s important to note that some energy firms have opened this year’s scheme early – check your supplier’s website for more details. The DWP pays the money directly to energy suppliers between October and March. If you’re a credit customer, the £150 will be added to your electricity account. If you’re on Pay As You Go or Prepayment, you’ll receive a voucher that you can use to top-up your meter. The DWP Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free £10 payment made to people receiving the State Pension or those claiming certain other benefits during the qualifying week – usually the first full week of December. There’s no need to apply for the extra £10 as it should automatically go into the account where you usually receive your State Pension or benefit payment. It is made as a separate payment, independent of your scheduled State Pension or benefit payment, so it may arrive on a different day.
