Warm homes discount

EssexHebridean

Bumping this because it raises some useful points to prompt some who may have previously got the WHD to check that they still will - forewarned is forearmed and all that...

MouldyOldDough

EssexHebridean said:

Bumping this because it raises some useful points to prompt some who may have previously got the WHD to check that they still will - forewarned is forearmed and all that...

The core group  for WHD:

Only available to claimants who receive pension credits – ie Fuel Poor pensioners.

The broader group for WHD:

In previous years – WHD was available to anyone on DLA/PIP who had an income of under £16,190 pa with no savings limit.

Now (from 2022/2023 onwards) you must be receiving a means tested benefit as well as being on DLA/PIP.

This will mean a loss of, previously available, assistance of £140 pa for any disabled people who are paid under £16,190 pa but don’t meet the criteria to claim means tested benefits – and those who choose not to claim any benefits.

Spoonie_Turtle

EssexHebridean said:

Bumping this because it raises some useful points to prompt some who may have previously got the WHD to check that they still will - forewarned is forearmed and all that...

None of us actually know whether we will or not, apart from Core Group 1.  It will depend on our property characteristics and I can't find any information on exactly what formula they'll be using.

I see your point though, it is useful for people to know if they definitely won't.  The rest of us 'maybes' will have to wait and see.

grumpyoldwoman

Does Council tax support come under the housing benefit umbrella or is it a separate entity? We've received WHD as the broader group because we get full council tax support and have less than £16,000 income. We don't get housing benefit as we own our home so I'm confused as to whether it's classed in the same way. Being almost all electric I've worked out our fuel bills will be over £5000 come January. We're retired so at home most of the time.

Spoonie_Turtle

grumpyoldwoman said:

Does Council tax support come under the housing benefit umbrella or is it a separate entity? We've received WHD as the broader group because we get full council tax support and have less than £16,000 income. We don't get housing benefit as we own our home so I'm confused as to whether it's classed in the same way. Being almost all electric I've worked out our fuel bills will be over £5000 come January. We're retired so at home most of the time.

Council Tax Support is a different benefit.

If you're both pensioners and haven't done so recently, it may be worth doing a benefits calculation just to see if you're entitled to any Pension Credit - may well not be, but surely worth the few mins just to make sure you're not accidentally missing out.
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/
https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

Chrysalis

IS interesting how things work out on the MSE forum, I posted a thread giving details of how the new WHD works, and it died, then someone asks the question and its gets loads of responses.

Sadly I cant be bothered to find the link to the government document again (its linked in my thread).  But I will give a vague answer.

The bad news is that not everyone who is deemed to have low income will qualify for WHD, its under funded.

You will also need to be deemed as having high energy use, the energy usage is not based on your actual usage but rather a estimation based on a formula, the most highest weighted part of the formula is floor space.

So in short people living in bigger properties are more likely to be awarded WHD, only 7% of low income people in flats will qualify vs 88% of those living in fully detached.

Been on PIP/DLA no longer qualifies you on its own, its now a combination of low income and high energy use.

For those of pension age I think the same criteria is used as before.  My above comments are for the working age.

Some reports and posts might state been on low income and passing a means test is enough, thats not the case.  I stress that you have to be deemed as a high energy user as well.

My thread is here which has the document link.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6375426/details-released-on-new-warm-home-discount-bad-news-for-those-in-flats#latest

Spoonie_Turtle

Chrysalis said:

For those of pension age I think the same criteria is used as before.  My above comments are for the working age.

Yes and no.  For pensioners there are those who qualify in the Core Group 1 (receiving the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit), and they'd get it regardless of property type.  Any pensioners who don't receive that element but perhaps receive the Savings Credit element of PC, Housing Benefit, or maybe Universal Credit if they're a mixed age couple, would only qualify via Core Group 2 which are the rules you've stated above.

Mstty

Who said that?💨🤣🤣🤣

Chrysalis

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

For those of pension age I think the same criteria is used as before.  My above comments are for the working age.

Yes and no.  For pensioners there are those who qualify in the Core Group 1 (receiving the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit), and they'd get it regardless of property type.  Any pensioners who don't receive that element but perhaps receive the Savings Credit element of PC, Housing Benefit, or maybe Universal Credit if they're a mixed age couple, would only qualify via Core Group 2 which are the rules you've stated above.

Ok I didnt know some pensioners had to get via group 2, so I will rephrase, those who got from the core group before (not broader group), they should still get it on the new WHD.

grumpyoldwoman

Spoonie_Turtle said:

grumpyoldwoman said:

Does Council tax support come under the housing benefit umbrella or is it a separate entity? We've received WHD as the broader group because we get full council tax support and have less than £16,000 income. We don't get housing benefit as we own our home so I'm confused as to whether it's classed in the same way. Being almost all electric I've worked out our fuel bills will be over £5000 come January. We're retired so at home most of the time.

Council Tax Support is a different benefit.

If you're both pensioners and haven't done so recently, it may be worth doing a benefits calculation just to see if you're entitled to any Pension Credit - may well not be, but surely worth the few mins just to make sure you're not accidentally missing out.
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/
https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

We don't qualify for pension credit, we get about £5 a week more than pension credit level. We used to get it when my husband first retired because I wasn't working and his pension was topped up, but when I got my pension it took us to just over the level so we stopped getting it and it's been like that since. 
The support we get is means tested, we have to show that our income plus any extra they deem we get from savings is less than the applicable amount, and it is. I suppose we'll just have to see what happens.