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Winter Fuel and COL - Can anyone clarify please?

Wellsbells
Posts: 10 Forumite


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.
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.
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Comments
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According to the Gov.uk site you should get £500.0
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You get £250 each. The full payment is per household, not per pensioner.1
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Full details here. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment#pensioner-cost-of-living-payment
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As you are also a pensioner you'll get a payment too, £250. Just your letter obviously hasn't arrived yet.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.
Thanks to all for putting me right, and I will await my half of the £500.0 -
Your OHs's letter should say that because someone else in the household is also due a payment his is £250.1
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sheramber said:Your OHs's letter should say that because someone else in the household is also due a payment his is £250.
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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.
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.0
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