State pensioners born after 1944 waking up to free £200 from DWP

State pensioners born after 1944 are being handed £200 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Winter Fuel Payment is £200 for people born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958, and £300 for those born before 23 September 1944.

The payment will be credited to bank accounts from 25 November with the payment reference beginning with the customer’s National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’. Those who do not receive a payment by 29 January 2025 should contact the department.

The Labour Party government continues to urge pensioners on a low income to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December deadline – all eligible claimants would receive up to £300 with the Winter Fuel Payment as well as any backdated Pension Credit arrears where applicable.

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Pension Credit could be worth on average up to £3,900 a year and acts as a gateway to other important benefits including help with housing costs, council tax reductions and NHS treatment costs. The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will soon be worth £227.10 a week for a single person and £346.60 for a couple.

This Government is also providing further protection against energy costs this winter for low-income households through DWP’s Cold Weather Payments, paid from 01 November until the end of March 2025. These are an automatic bank top-up of £25, paid to eligible households when the average temperature in the area has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days.

In addition, the £150 Warm Home Discount scheme has been extended, alongside an additional £1 billion for the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments next year, in 2025 to 2026, which it says is demonstrating Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to addressing immediate hardship and crisis for vulnerable families across the country.