Getting £200 heating allowance abroad?

djohn2002uk

Some friends of ours are moving to Spain to live. It's common knowledge that their retirement pension, local government pension and Civil Service pensions will still be paid, and rightly so, however another friend tells us the government will still pay them the £200 winter fuel allowance too. Surely this can't be right? Paying a heating allowance whilst living in a warm country? Or is this another bit of stupidity on the part of a government department?

mrcow

Take a look here

Does this help?

djohn2002uk

"Once you qualify for a payment, and we have up-to-date information about where you live, payments for future years are sent automatically. You must remember to tell us if your circumstances change". It just seems rediculous to me that such a payment is made to people living in a warm country.

mrcow

I think that it must be an EU issue (ie. if they do it for one country, then they do it for all), and not determined by average temperature etc. but TBH, I'm not sure how cold parts of Spain can get in the winter.

margaretclare

Maybe they will use it to pay for the air-con????

Perhaps that's the problem when the Chancellor orders an 'across-the-board' payment like winter fuel payment, with no regard to whether people need it or not. Paying it in November is IMHO daft anyway - we don't pay for 'winter fuel' up-front, we pay the same amount each month for the whole year! And what about older people who take a long holiday in the winter because they find it cheaper - they won't need the winter fuel payment either, will they?

Aunty Margaret

djohn2002uk

margaretclare wrote:

- they won't need the winter fuel payment either, will they?

Aunty Margaret

Maybe to pay for the flights.

iris

Unfortunately we have to pay for our HEATING OIL up front:( we don't have any gas in our village, so the £200 in November is a great

Derek_A.

It does get cold in Southern Spain,in the winter, in Mojaca this Jan.& Feb, it was cold, some frosty mornings,and plenty of rain.
And remember most of the 3 month winter visitors still pay UK taxes.