State pensioners wake up to missing £600 sums in their bank account

State pensioners are missing £450 from bank accounts after a rule change from the new Labour Party government. You will not get the extra £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment given in 2022 and 2023 after it stopped in winter 2023 - on top of the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance cut.

While most pensioners will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment, some are still eligible for it. It’s also not clear that there were plans for additional Pensioner Cost of Living Payments that Labour has chosen not to proceed with, while the Household Support Fund has been extended by the government until next year.

A government spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the Triple Lock. Over a million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment, and our drive to boost Pension Credit take up has already seen a 152% increase in claims.

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"Many others will also benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the Household Support Fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”

The majority of pensioners will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment (which provides £200 or £300 to help pay for heating bills over the winter months) from this winter following a decision taken by the government to means-test the payment announced in July.

The government estimates that around 2.3 million pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit, of whom around 880,000 don’t claim it. But most of the 11.4 million pensioners who received the Winter Fuel Payment in 2022/23 will no longer receive it.

Last winter pensioners received a Pensioner Cost of Living Payment worth either £150 or £300, paid alongside the Winter Fuel Payment.