Winter Fuel and COL - Can anyone clarify please?

Wellsbells

We are fully paid up UK resident pensioners, i.e. meet the Gov's two eligibility criteria. We are in a fortunate position and not in receipt of any benefits.

OH is 70 and has received WFP for the past few years. Each year the payment has always been £200. 

This year all media headlines seem to agree that pensioners who qualify for WFP will get an extra £300 COL payment.  So we anticipated this year's payment would be £500 (£200WFP + £300COL).

Letter has come this week to OH stating payment for WFP and COL combined will be £250.

As this payment is not means tested surely all pensioners (not receiving other benefits) get the same?  Nowhere can I find a simple explanation for how much eligible pensioners not on extra benefits will receive. There must be a lot of us who should all be receiving exactly the same amount.

This is not a complaint that we feel 'hard done by' - we don't. We are however frustrated that we can't understand why we've got £250 not £500.

Rubyroobs

According to the Gov.uk site you should get £500.

Silvertabby

You get £250 each.  The full payment is per household, not per pensioner.

poppy12345

Full details here. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment#pensioner-cost-of-living-payment

Spoonie_Turtle

As you are also a pensioner you'll get a payment too, £250.  Just your letter obviously hasn't arrived yet.

Wellsbells

Aah, maybe I will also get a letter and separate payment of another £250 in due course. For the two of us that would then = £500.

We always understood WFP was for the household not each individual, so assumed there would be just one WFP + COL payment this winter 'for the household', paid to the older spouse. 

General_Grant

Wellsbells said:

Aah, maybe I will also get a letter and separate payment of another £250 in due course. For the two of us that would then = £500.

We always understood WFP was for the household not each individual, so assumed there would be just one WFP + COL payment this winter 'for the household', paid to the older spouse. 

So what happened last year?  Was only your OH in receipt of the state pension at the qualifying date and therefore the only one to receive the winter fuel payment?

Wellsbells

General_Grant said:

Wellsbells said:

Aah, maybe I will also get a letter and separate payment of another £250 in due course. For the two of us that would then = £500.

We always understood WFP was for the household not each individual, so assumed there would be just one WFP + COL payment this winter 'for the household', paid to the older spouse. 

So what happened last year?  Was only your OH in receipt of the state pension at the qualifying date and therefore the only one to receive the winter fuel payment?

Correct. This is the first year I qualify. But had been under the misapprehension that regardless of both being pensioners, only one payment would come because it was for 'the household'.

Thanks to all for putting me right, and I will await my half of the £500.

sheramber

Your OHs's letter should say that because someone else in the household is also due a payment  his is £250.

Silvertabby

sheramber said:

Your OHs's letter should say that because someone else in the household is also due a payment  his is £250.

Just received my letter today.  Says that I will receive £250 because someone else in the household also qualifies.  

Silvertabby

Wellsbells said:

Aah, maybe I will also get a letter and separate payment of another £250 in due course. For the two of us that would then = £500.

We always understood WFP was for the household not each individual, so assumed there would be just one WFP + COL payment this winter 'for the household', paid to the older spouse. 

You'd have thought so, on the grounds that two people living together only have one lot of fuel bills/one boiler between them.

Possible that as the older of the couple is more likely to be male, the powers-that-be are trying to dodge accusations of discrimination against women.