Age for Winter fuel payment to rise from 60 to 65

dwileflunker

As someone due to get their first winter fuel payment this year I checked the govt web site to see if I needed to claim and was surprised to see that between 2010 & 2020 the age for receiving this payment is going to rise from 60 to 65. It appears that Mr Brown and his cronies are hell bent on making sure that the older you get the longer you have to wait to get it.

http://www.pensionservice.gov.uk/winterfuel

EdInvestor

Well spotted.

Will the bus pass be next?

seven-day-weekend

I am 60 in January 2010 (and will receive my State Pension then).

Does anyone know if the Heating Allowance is rising in line with the increase in Retirement age?

Also, does anyone know when the qualifying date is if someone is 60 in January 2009?

Edinburghlass_2

At the moment the qualifying date is September I believe so they wouldn't qualify for winter of 2009 but would for winter 2010.

Farway

dwileflunker wrote: »

As someone due to get their first winter fuel payment this year I checked the govt web site to see if I needed to claim and was surprised to see that between 2010 & 2020 the age for receiving this payment is going to rise from 60 to 65. It appears that Mr Brown and his cronies are hell bent on making sure that the older you get the longer you have to wait to get it.

http://www.pensionservice.gov.uk/winterfuel

Hardly, this is surely brings it into line with retirement age rising to 65 for both sexes?

Why should working people age 62 get extra help with heating costs?

I assume in due course bus passes, prescriptions & eye tests etc will also fall into line with rising retirement age, and why ever not

tanith

Have to agree with Farway on this one, don't see any reason why someone who is still working should get help with their heating costs. I also assume everything else available to pensioners will fall into line with the new retirement age as it rises... why would it not?

brodev

A little personal experience that cost me £100. I received £200 winter fuel allowance when I was 60 and I received this for the next 2 years. When I was 63 I only received £100 but I DIDN'T notice that it had happened. When, in May, I did notice and made some enquiries I was told that my payment was correct as the other £100 should have gone to my wife who had then become 60. She hadn't received it as she hadn't claimed it. As the last date for claiming was in March we lost out on £100. So please be aware.

EdInvestor

Farway wrote: »

Hardly, this is surely brings it into line with retirement age rising to 65 for both sexes?Why should working people age 62 get extra help with heating costs?I assume in due course bus passes, prescriptions & eye tests etc will also fall into line with rising retirement age, and why ever not

On the other hand it's not as clear cut as that now.For instance men of 60 can receive heating allowance and free bus passes even though men don't officially retire until 65.

Farway

EdInvestor wrote: »

On the other hand it's not as clear cut as that now.For instance men of 60 can receive heating allowance and free bus passes even though men don't officially retire until 65.

That was due to anti discrimination laws, discrimination against men in this instance

Once it became apparent that governments could not have institutionalised sexual discrimination, having lost in the European Courts, they had to amend laws

One change was to allow men to get the same benefits as women regarding heating & bus travel

However be careful what you wish for, women now have equality in having to work to 65 for pension, as men always had to

Whilst I got the heating allowance, prescriptions & free bus travel whilst working it does not follow that I thought I should have done so

djohn2002uk

Farway wrote: »

Whilst I got the heating allowance, prescriptions & free bus travel whilst working it does not follow that I thought I should have done so

But you still took it but now advocate that no one else should get it whilst working.
I would add that you even had to apply and did so.

EdInvestor

Farway wrote: »

However be careful what you wish for, women now have equality in having to work to 65 for pension, as men always had to

Fortunately for men over 60 this is not yet the case, the rise in state pension age for woment is being phased in gradually over 10 years to 2020, so men will only lose their freebie benefits on a gradual basis.

However one can see the confusion this is going to cause, it's bad enough with women trying to get their heads around the idea of being eligible for their state pension when they are aged 61 years and 9 months (or whatever)..... :rolleyes:

Add the additional rules for the heating allowance in re application deadlines and the male eligibility scenario is likely to become utterly baffling.