Winter fuel payments for the elderly.

[Leekbrookgull]

No,but i just think somehow it should be locked-in,and with Govt payments as well. l don't have a problem with that seems commonsense to me.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

You're never 60 Lord B?

No.

I'm just a benefit cheat. No different from all the 17 year olds on here with ID that gets them served in pubs.

 

[Cian]

Yes it is. I don't know how much the contribution is but my parents just have to pay the net figure.

26 euro a month, will be paid to your landline or mobile operator

Electricity is 400KW/H of power and the standing charge, irrespective of what the electricity costs are at the time; or the cash equivalent of this if you use Eirtricity/BGE instead of the ESB. Gas is ~25 quid a month in summer and ~50 quid a month in winter and the standing charge; no cash equivalent.

Had to sift through all the paperwork for this for my gran a few weeks ago because she wasn't getting her free TV licence (also part of the overall deal); headwrecking stuff. I also remember my grandfather (other side) never had to pay a phone or ESB bill after he retired due to not using them much!

 

[Deleted User X18H]

So-called "Winter Fuel Payments" are simply tax-free payments made to people who qualify by being aged 60 or over. They are paid at the rate of £250 per household. They are paid every winter, irrespective of income, as a one-off sum, but it doesn't matter how people use the money. People get a Winter Fuel Payment even if they are still in full-time work. If they are having a long winter holiday in the hottest part of the South of Spain, people still qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. Winter Fuel Payments do not depend on how cold the weather gets.

There is no logic in calling them "Winter Fuel Payments". They might just as accurately be called "Sky TV Payments", "Dog Food Payments" or "Albion Season Ticket Subsidies". You don't, however, get a Winter Fuel Payment if you are in prison, in hospital (for at least a year), or if you live in a care home and are in receipt of certain benefits. People who live in care homes who do qualify get a reduced rate of Winter Fuel Payment (only £125) - quite right too, since we don't want folk like that buying Albion Season Tickets.

There are quite different payments, called Cold Weather Payments, that are paid to people on some income-related benefits, but only when the weather reaches a certain temperature.

What about pensioners abroad? The so called ex pats.

 

[skipper734]

That's a terrific deal. Would virtually pay for my energy and phone bill.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What about pensioners abroad? The so called ex pats.

Only if they live in the EEA or Switzerland.

 

[skipper734]

What about pensioners abroad? The so called ex pats.

If they are domiciled abroad they just get their pension paid at the rate at which it is first paid, forever. No add ons.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

My Mrs qualified for this for the 1st time this year but didn't exactly tell me and the money went onXmas.

Not much help to me as I'm the one who has to pay the bills and she has some wiered notions (must be her age) like leaving all the internal doors open and having the heating turned up.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

And some BAD NEWS for 58 year olds ...

Changes from winter 2010-11

The qualifying age for Winter Fuel Payments will rise gradually from age 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020. This is to keep in line with changes to the State Pension age for women.

If you first qualify for Winter Fuel Payment in 2010–11 or later this will apply to you.

If you have already received the Winter Fuel Payment in a previous year you will not be affected. This will not affect 2009-10 payments.

Winter Fuel Payment - Change of circumstances : Directgov - Pensions and retirement planning

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Why Switzerland ?

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Freddie,i have taken the doors off and used them as firewood !! Least that you get something back. :US:

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Why Switzerland ?

It's not in the EEA, but is treated internationally as if it was.

The EEA is bigger than the European Union and includes EFTA countries not in the EU (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway):-

Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Republic of Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
The Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
UK

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Oi, give me my doors back!

I'm a few years away from my payment but, without reading back, is does the payment only go to one in the household so my Mrs, who is older than I, will always get it and I never will?

 

[Emily's Mum]

The trouble with paying it directly to energy companies is, you increase the cost of distributing the money, and with the range of suppliers we have, it would be an administrative nightmare.

For a benefit to work effectively, the qualification & distribution system has to be as cheap as possible, otherwise you spend more on administration than you give out.

I suffer from a disablity that is affected by the cold & owing to us having night storage heaters, our house has been at around 60 degrees all week, and I get nothing to help with the bills. I'm not complaining, it's just the way the system is.

 

[Gazwag]

If that is the case would it not be better to make it payable for the next bill your are going to get ?

what about those, like my mother in law, who have to buy coke (the black stuff not the white stuff) well before winter starts

 

[BensGrandad]

what about those, like my mother in law, who have to buy coke (the black stuff not the white stuff) well before winter starts

My mother was in that boat and always bought it during the simmer sales and then she knew the winter payment would cover the costs. She obviously had to use her own money or credit card to pay for the coal initialy.

 

[Si Gull]

Originally Posted by Lord Bracknell
......in the hottest part of the South of Spain....

I'm here in the very south of Southern Spain, almost in Africa; I just checked the outdoor thermometer and it's -1C, I could do with a winter fuel allowance!

 

[Gazwag]

My mother was in that boat and always bought it during the simmer sales and then she knew the winter payment would cover the costs. She obviously had to use her own money or credit card to pay for the coal initialy.

she's never had a credit card in her life and only getting a state pension she struggles to save much

 

[BensGrandad]

It is occassions like those that they are of benefit when you can buy some thing at a cheap rate and pay the bill off when the money comes. The reduction in the cost offsets the interest you pay for 2 or 3 months.

Unfortunately you could not tell most elderly people that, fortunately my mum worked ina pub for over 60 years so spoke to lots of people who gave her advice as well as many that were arseholes.

 

[Adam Virgo's Shirt]

The criteria for the Cold Weather payment is that you have to be in receipt of a means tested disability or old age benefit, and the temp has to be zero celsius for 7 days consecutively. The temperature is measured by the weather station designated to your area, which may be some way from where you live.