Most pensioners want their Winter Fuel Payments to cowl vitality payments, warns charity

Three quarters of pensioners spent their Winter Fuel Payment on costs like heating, hot water and running household appliances last year, new research reveals.

The payments, worth from £100 to £300 a year, are now means-tested, sparking a widespread campaign urging older people who qualify for pension credit to apply by 21 December in time to keep them.

Age UK has found before the new rules, 77 per cent of people aged 66 and over – the equivalent of 9.2 million pensioners – used the money to cover fuel-related household bills.

The charity’s poll of pensioners found:

– A quarter of older people, equivalent to 3 million, spent the payment on hot water

– Almost as many spent it on cooking meals, and one in five on running appliances such as washing machines

– A fifth of the poorest older people used their Winter Fuel Payment to buy food.

Claiming pension credit: Find out how to top up your weekly income below

Age UK asked pensioners how they would meet energy bills this winter. 

-Some 55 per cent, equivalent to 6.6 million people aged 66 and over, said they would have to turn down the heating or reduce the hours they use it.

– That rises to 63 per cent among the poorest pensioners, those in the three most disadvantaged social and economic groups (known as C2DE).

– Some 25 per cent, or 3 million pensioners overall, said they would have to reduce the length or number of baths or showers they take.

– And 10 per cent, equivalent to 1.2 million overall, intended to reduce the number of hot meals they eat.

– That rises to 15 per cent among the poorest pensioners.

Age UK polled 1,034 people aged 66 and over, who were drawn from a wider group aged 50-plus weighted to be nationally representative of this cohort of the UK population on age, sex, ethnicity, social grade and region.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at the organisation, says: ‘It’s no surprise to us at Age UK, and it really shouldn’t be to anyone else either, that the great majority of older people spent their Winter Fuel Payment on energy related costs last year.

‘With fuel prices having gone up so much compared to five or 10 years ago, even older people who expected to be relatively comfortable in retirement have been impacted and forced to tighten their belts.

‘And for those without much money behind them, energy bills have become a source of real fear.’

‘Knowing they were going to receive their Winter Fuel Payment took some of the anxiety of unaffordable fuel bills away and this universal entitlement was highly valued by pensioners as a result.’

Abrahams warns the change in policy is already causing older people hardship and undermining their health, and that things are likely to get worse this winter.

‘Once again, we repeat our call to the Government to recognise the damage their decision to brutally means-test Winter Fuel Payment is causing millions of older people and to bring in measures to soften the blow.’

Age UK says Labour in Scotland has pledged to reintroduce the Winter Fuel Payment as a universal entitlement if they win office in 2026. 

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland government is giving every pensioner who loses the payment £100 this winter to help with energy bills, but older people are in similar need in England and Wales, it adds.

Succession star Brian Cox is currently leading a celebrity campaign urging hard-up pensioners to claim pension credit, which tops up weekly income to a minimum of £218.15 for single people and £332.95 for couples.

Cox is being joined by film and TV actor Jane Asher and Sue Holderness, who played Marlene in sitcom Only Fools and Horses, in the initiative by national charity Independent Age.

If you submit a pension credit application by the 21 December deadline that goes on to be successful, your payments will be backdated by up to three months, and you will qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.

One in six pensioners would feel embarrassed to tell their family about applying for pension credit to top up their income, according to recent research by Royal London.

It found that among older people who have found out they qualify for pension credit, 11 per cent are yet to apply and only 2 per cent intend to do so in time to get the Winter Fuel Payment.

Royal London, which is running its own campaign under the banner Take The Credit, surveyed more than 1,200 people aged over 66 from every region of the UK over the past month about their attitudes to pension credit and other issues.

The firm said: ‘We need to spread the message that there is no shame in accepting help that is available.

‘Times have been hard in recent years so it’s important that we come together and encourage pensioners, whether they be family, friends or neighbours, to look into all the options of support that might be available.’

How to apply for pension credit and where to get help with claims

If you are elderly and not well off, pension credit tops up weekly income to a minimum of £218.15 for single people and £332.95 for couples.

On average it is worth around £4,000 a year on its own, but pension credit also opens the door to a lot of additional help with household bills.

You can gain thousands of pounds on top including help with housing costs, heating, council tax, TV licences if you are over 75, and other bills.

Find out more about pension credit here and about the rules on who is eligible here.

You can apply yourself by phone on 0800 99 1234, claim pension credit online or get a form to do it by post.

A friend or family member can apply on behalf of an elderly person.

In Scotland, a new Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will eventually replace the Winter Fuel Payment.

But for this winter, people over state pension age who qualify will receive a payment in line with the Winter Fuel Payment, and this will be means-tested. Check here if you live in Scotland and here for Northern Ireland.

Age UK staff provide help with applications. Any older person struggling with bills, or friends and family who are concerned about them, can call 0800 169 6565.

This line is open every day of the year between 8am and 7pm, or you can visit Age UK’s help page here.

It also has a free, anonymous benefits calculator which can provide an estimate of what you could be entitled to if you want to find out this information privately.

Age UK notes that the Household Support Fund has been extended to help struggling households with bills and essential costs over winter.

Money should be specifically set aside for older people, so it says they should contact their local council to see if they’re entitled to any support.

Independent Age, a charity focused on improving the lives of older people in financial hardship, offers help on its free phoneline 0800 319 6789.

 Advisers from the charity carry out welfare benefit checks to ensure callers are accessing all available support, including pension credit and the Winter Fuel Payment.

What does the Government say?

‘We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,900 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock,’ says a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions.

‘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 per cent increase in claims.

‘Many others will also benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments this winter, while our extension of the Household Support Fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.’