Who qualifies for Winter Fuel Payment

Find out who is eligible for Winter Fuel Payment, a benefit paid to older people to help them to keep warm in winter.

If you are eligible, you will normally get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically and you will get a letter in October or November 2024 saying how much you will get.

Who can get it

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2024 to 2025 if you were born before 23 September 1958.

You must also live in Northern Ireland and get one of the following:

Pension Credit
Income Support
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit

If you did not live in Northern Ireland for at least one day during the qualifying week (16 to 22 September 2024 for winter 2024 to 2025), you might still get the payment if:

you moved to an eligible country before 31 December 2020
you were born before 23 September 1958
you have a genuine and adequate link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK, and having family in the UK

Read guidance to check if you can get benefits as a UK national in an EU or EEA country, or Switzerland.

You will not be eligible if you:

have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you cannot claim public funds
were in prison for the whole of the week of 16 to 22 September 2024

If you live in a care home

You can get Winter Fuel Payment if you live in a care home in Northern Ireland and:

you meet the eligibility conditions, and
you lived in a care home for less than 13 weeks including the week of 16 to 22 September 2024

You may still be able to get a Cold Weather Payment, even if you do not qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

Make a claim for Winter Fuel Payment

To find out who needs to make a claim for the payment and how to go about it, visit the following page:

Making a claim for Winter Fuel Payment

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Who qualifies for Winter Fuel Payment

Who can get it

If you live in a care home

Make a claim for Winter Fuel Payment

Help improve this page - send your feedback

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What to do next

Carer's Allowance

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Disability Living Allowance

Employment and Support Allowance

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Personal Independence Payment