Warm Home Discount 2024

LoobyLou1957

Does anyone know if there will still be a Warm Home Discount this coming Winter? I previously was entitled to it due to being on PIP and ESA, and then two years ago they changed the criteria as automatically for pensioners and the other categories had to have a certain EPC on their homes and I missed out. I finally turned 66 last December and was expecting to get it this coming Winter, but in light of the Government doing away with the other main Winter Fuel payment to all but those on Pension Credit, I am wondering if they will have done away completely with the WHD scheme? Does anyone know anything yet?

wrf12345

WFA, even if 66, needed a DOB before a certain date to get it even before it was restricted, it may be same for this one, the gov webpage has the details. My birthday was in early Nov so even though I was 66 and getting the state pension I did not get wFA for another year, really annoying, now wont get it at all as not on benefits, even more annoying.

Spoonie_Turtle

Haven't heard anything about changing the WHD.  The current revised scheme is legislated to run up to and including winter 2025/26.

LoobyLou1957

wrf12345 said:

WFA, even if 66, needed a DOB before a certain date to get it even before it was restricted, it may be same for this one, the gov webpage has the details. My birthday was in early Nov so even though I was 66 and getting the state pension I did not get wFA for another year, really annoying, now wont get it at all as not on benefits, even more annoying.

I realised that. I suspect it was the same cutoff date as for claiming the SP, September 15th I think last year.

rightfoot_shifter

I have a new question on this subject. 

My son was receiving Universal Credit while living at home but has since stopped it as he has gone abroad to study (he'll be back for term breaks). Of course the energy billing is only in my name.

Nevertheless we have just received a letter from the WHDS saying he has been automatically awarded WHD, that he doesn't need to contact them. 

So...should he have been entitled to it in the first place? Is the entitlement still valid? If not then how would it be applied to energy that he doesn't have an account for? Should I, or he, attempt to stop the award & if so when & how?

Oscarmax

LoobyLou1957 said:

Does anyone know if there will still be a Warm Home Discount this coming Winter? I previously was entitled to it due to being on PIP and ESA, and then two years ago they changed the criteria as automatically for pensioners and the other categories had to have a certain EPC on their homes and I missed out. I finally turned 66 last December and was expecting to get it this coming Winter, but in light of the Government doing away with the other main Winter Fuel payment to all but those on Pension Credit, I am wondering if they will have done away completely with the WHD scheme? Does anyone know anything yet?

When you reach your pension previously you lose your entitlement to warm home discount and become entitled to the winter allowance, recently only those on pension credit will be entitled  to the winter allowance.

born_again

rightfoot_shifter said:

I have a new question on this subject. 

My son was receiving Universal Credit while living at home but has since stopped it as he has gone abroad to study (he'll be back for term breaks). Of course the energy billing is only in my name.

Nevertheless we have just received a letter from the WHDS saying he has been automatically awarded WHD, that he doesn't need to contact them. 

So...should he have been entitled to it in the first place? Is the entitlement still valid? If not then how would it be applied to energy that he doesn't have an account for? Should I, or he, attempt to stop the award & if so when & how?

So when did he move?

You may be eligible if all of the following applied on 11 August 2024:

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income-England-Wales

Chrysalis

I believe the automatic eligibility for the elderly is pension credit, so the changes the government made might have a domino affect on WHD.

However if I am right you can still qualify via the second way if you dont get pension credit.

you or your partner are getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit as well)
This is known as being in the ‘core group 1’ in England and Wales. In Scotland, it is the ‘core group’.

Core group 2 details below.

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income-England-Wales

rightfoot_shifter

born_again said:

rightfoot_shifter said:

I have a new question on this subject. 

My son was receiving Universal Credit while living at home but has since stopped it as he has gone abroad to study (he'll be back for term breaks). Of course the energy billing is only in my name.

Nevertheless we have just received a letter from the WHDS saying he has been automatically awarded WHD, that he doesn't need to contact them. 

So...should he have been entitled to it in the first place? Is the entitlement still valid? If not then how would it be applied to energy that he doesn't have an account for? Should I, or he, attempt to stop the award & if so when & how?

So when did he move?

You may be eligible if all of the following applied on 11 August 2024:

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income-England-Wales

Thanks for the reply born again. He moved mid September. And today I have a message from my energy provider to say the WHD is being applied to my account. So obviously they have tracked my account via the address supplied on my son's UC data.

condoghost

rightfoot_shifter said:

Thanks for the reply born again. He moved mid September. And today I have a message from my energy provider to say the WHD is being applied to my account. So obviously they have tracked my account via the address supplied on my son's UC data.

The question still remains "Should I, or he, attempt to stop the award". Given he stopped claiming Universal Credit as he has gone abroad to study it depends on the date he did that.

Dandytf

Chrysalis said:

I believe the automatic eligibility for the elderly is pension credit, so the changes the government made might have a domino affect on WHD.

However if I am right you can still qualify via the second way if you dont get pension credit.

you or your partner are getting the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit as well)
This is known as being in the ‘core group 1’ in England and Wales. In Scotland, it is the ‘core group’.

Core group 2 details below.

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income-England-Wales

Thanks i've SP w.h.d. App ref since 29/10.
Though North u.k. Core Group 2.