Winter Fuel Payment Age Changes

kilrail

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but as I was born at the end of July 1951 it appears that I will not receive the winter fuel allowance until 2014 yet if I was born 7 months earlier I would receive it this year (2 years earlier).
However my bus pass seems to be in line with the female pension age so I will receive that in November this year.

I know there is no correalation but I don't see why the heating allowance is moving out so quickly.

p00hsticks

kilrail wrote: »

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but as I was born at the end of July 1951 it appears that I will not receive the winter fuel allowance until 2014 yet if I was born 7 months earlier I would receive it this year (2 years earlier).
However my bus pass seems to be in line with the female pension age so I will receive that in November this year.

I know there is no correalation but I don't see why the heating allowance is moving out so quickly.

I don't think it is really moving any more quickly that the state pension age overall - the qualifying age is moving up gradually from 60 in 2010 so that it reaches 65 by the year 2020, as described here.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/Benefits/BenefitsInRetirement/DG_198331

that's actually slightly slower than the State Pension age, which will move from 60 to 66 in the same timeframe.

However, because it is something that is only paid once a year, the qualifying age is moving up less smoothly that the state pension. You are slightly unfortunate in being born at the end of July - if you had been born at the beginning of the month you would have qualified a year earlier.

Even when it reaches the target age of 65 (or before the recent rise started), you still have the descrepancy that someone born the day after the yearly qualifying day will have to wait an additional year before they get their allowance.

I'm not aware of any plans at present to increase the qualifying age after 2020 to 66 to match the State Pension.

perthperson

kilrail wrote: »

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but as I was born at the end of July 1951 it appears that I will not receive the winter fuel allowance until 2014 yet if I was born 7 months earlier I would receive it this year (2 years earlier).
However my bus pass seems to be in line with the female pension age so I will receive that in November this year.

I know there is no correalation but I don't see why the heating allowance is moving out so quickly.

Me too! I'm the 29th. Never mind the way time passes it'll be here before we know it.

johnaka

I wont be getting it thats for sure born november 1951.