State pensioners born before 1953 handed free £475 before Christmas

State pensioners born before 1953 are being urged to claim £475 before Christmas. The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) says state pensioners could be due a Winter Fuel Payment up to £300, a Warm Homes Discount worth £150, and a Cold Weather Payment worth £25 - totalling £475 of free cash.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme means you'll get £25 for each seven day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. The Cold Weather Payment scheme runs from 1 November 2024 to 31 March 2025. The Cold Weather Payment checker will help you see if you are entitled to a payment in your area.

The Warm Home Discount is a one-time £150 discount on electricity bills for eligible state pensioners and those living in low-income households. The discount is applied automatically to eligible bills by energy companies. The money is not paid directly to the recipient.

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The discount is available for the winter period bills between October 2024 and March 2025. The discount is not available in Northern Ireland. If you were born before 23 September 1958 you could get either £200 or £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2024 to 2025.

This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’. You may be eligible if you or your partner get certain benefits. You will not get the extra Pensioner Cost of Living Payment given in 2022 and 2023. It stopped in winter 2023. If you’re eligible, you’ll get a letter in October or November saying how much you’ll get.

If you do not get a letter but you think you’re eligible, check if you need to make a claim. The DWP Christmas bonus - which is paid in early December - was first introduced as part of the Pensioners’ and Family Income Supplement Payments Act in 1972. The payment aims to help people with added costs during the festive period and millions of people claiming certain benefits and the state pension are eligible for it.