Winter Fuel Payment - I'll be 63 when I get it

Roger1

p00hsticks wrote: »

Apparently not if you're a qualifying male under State Pension age and not in receipt of benefits - see my previous post

Interesting, thank you. I was pretty sure that mine was automatic but now I'm not so sure and I don't think I've retained the paperwork from the time.

I see from your linked item that there's a retrospective claim form for winters 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/2000, but not for later years which are not allowed.

silverwhistle

Well, based on my date of birth I don't get my (women's) pension until I'm 67. It's chnaged rather rapidly in the last few years as my sister who is four yearsolder than me has a qualifying date of 60.. If I get anything before 67 I'll regard it as a bonus..

p00hsticks

silverwhistle wrote: »

Well, based on my date of birth I don't get my (women's) pension until I'm 67. It's chnaged rather rapidly in the last few years as my sister who is four yearsolder than me has a qualifying date of 60.. If I get anything before 67 I'll regard it as a bonus..

Something doesn't sound quite right here - for your sister to have reached retirement age at 60 she would have to be born before 6th April 1950. It's true that for women born in the four years after that date, their pension age rises rapidly until for those born on or after November 1954 it's 66, in line with men.

But as far as I'm aware the proposal for a further increase from 66 to 67 that was in last years Queens Speech only affects those born after 5th April 1960 ?

So assuming you were born in around 1954-55, you should be looking at a retirement age of 66, not 67 (unless they shift the goalposts again!)

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-state-pension

Goldiegirl

p00hsticks wrote: »

I dontl think that's true. If you're male I don't believe that you do have to wait until you reach State Pension Age before being eligible for WFP - the age eligibility criteria for WFP is the same for both men and women and is rising in realtino to the WOMENS state pension age.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/eligibility

However, if you're a man born before just the qualifying date for next winter (5th January 1952) and therefore not claiming State Pension yet, you will have to apply for it rather than get it automatically.

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim

If they keep up to the existing rules (and that's a bif if), then I think fredwil should first be eligible the following year (Winter 2014-15). Basically to meet the date eligibility criteria you have to be born on or before the date of the youngest womnen who will reach state pension age in September of the WFP year in question.

So a woman born on 5th January 1952 reaches State pension age in September 2013 (one born on 6th doesn;t reach it for another month).

Simialrly a woman born on 5th July 1952 reaches state pension age in September 2014, so I'd expect 5th July 1952 to be the cut off date for the WFP for 2014-15, which fredwil will meet.

My husband falls in the the man born just before 5th January 1952 category.

He has been sent an application form for the winter fuel payment for 2013/2014.

So to clarify, a man in that situation does have to apply, but they'll be sent the application form automatically.

grumpyoldwoman

I've been looking into this as my husband was 61 this year in October. He actually won't qualify till 2015 and I won't qualify till I'm 66.

I found a government document which lists qualifying ages till 2025. Copied the important bit here ...

Winter fuel payment qualifying dates
Winter - Must be born on or before this date to qualify
2012-13 - 5 July 1951
2013-14 - 5 January 1952
2014-15 - 5 July 1952
2015-16 - 5 January 1953
2016-17 - 5 May 1953
2017-18 - 5 August 1953
2018-19 - 5 November 1953
2019-20 - 5 April 1954
2020-21 - 5 October 1954
2021-22 - 25 September 1955
2022-23 - 24 September 1956
2023-24 - 22 September 1957
2024-25 - 21 September 1958
2025-26 - 27 September 1969
Beyond 2025-26 – if the Winter Fuel Payments scheme is still in existence – the qualifying age rules may change again.

p00hsticks

grumpyoldwoman wrote: »

I've been looking into this as my husband was 61 this year in October. He actually won't qualify till 2015 and I won't qualify till I'm 66.

A useful find - thank you !

It sounds like you are in a very similar position to me (MY OH was 61 at the end of september).

Assuming that you still live with your husband and share finances, then as I understand it, in your circumstances financially it won't really matter when you become eligible, as the payment is per household, not per individual.

So assuming the rules remain unchanged, all that will happen when you become eligible is that is that your OH will only get £100 instead of the £200 he will have previously been receiving, the other £100 being sent to you instead.

grumpyoldwoman

That's not so bad then, only two years to go. Yippee! :T:rotfl:

beedeedee

You'll be pleased to know I got "my" £100 for the first time this year and I'm 62 in 2 weeks time. I've known for a long time precisely what I was going to spend it on....and I've bought a portable gas fire plus LPG gas bottle for £99.95. We have gas CH but if there should be a powercut, obviously the controls will not work. Can't be doing with being cold anymore and wanted some sort of backup. Expensive to run I know, but only for emergencies and DH's £100 WFP will pay for more gas bottles as we need them. I feel I've used the payment wisely for us.

SevenOfNine

I regard the WFA as the same as my state pension......a carrot on the end of a stick!

zygurat789

grumpyoldwoman wrote: »

I've been looking into this as my husband was 61 this year in October. He actually won't qualify till 2015 and I won't qualify till I'm 66.

I found a government document which lists qualifying ages till 2025. Copied the important bit here ...

Winter fuel payment qualifying dates
Winter - Must be born on or before this date to qualify
2012-13 - 5 July 1951
2013-14 - 5 January 1952
2014-15 - 5 July 1952
2015-16 - 5 January 1953
2016-17 - 5 May 1953
2017-18 - 5 August 1953
2018-19 - 5 November 1953
2019-20 - 5 April 1954
2020-21 - 5 October 1954
2021-22 - 25 September 1955
2022-23 - 24 September 1956
2023-24 - 22 September 1957
2024-25 - 21 September 1958
2025-26 - 27 September 1969
Beyond 2025-26 – if the Winter Fuel Payments scheme is still in existence – the qualifying age rules may change again.

So are those also the dates of birth of females qualifying for state pension from 5 April in the first of the two years?