DWP Winter Fuel Payments

[chessie]

Has anyone - who is entitled to their UK Winter Fuel Payments - received their payment for this winter ?

Only ask because we have not yet received ours; have checked with DWP (before Christmas) whose laconic reply was 'well, they've been held up, bit of a back-log, but you should receive this by the end of December' .

This payment not yet arrived in bank account (checked online this morning); anyone else received/not yet received this payment ?

Thanks - Chessie

[BJSLIV]

It was paid as usual by early December. Is this your first payment?

 

 

[Judith]

What a coincidence! I've just rung them this morning on my return to UK after Christmas in France - we had the same conversation too as our memory was they arrived before Christmas last year, as I had to bring the cheque back to England and pay it in here.  Memory also tells me that all previous payments were sent by post as a sterling cheque. 

I was told that they are late this year and not all are yet sent, I have been told that they may be coming by the beginning of February, and that this year they will put it into my husband's account directly as with his pension.  Since he moved late in the year (2005) that might explain why it was a cheque last year but can go into the bank account direct this year.

Hope that helps!

[EDIT] just seen the post above mine - they said that some had already gone out, but not all !

[chessie]

Hello BJSLIV and Judith

Thanks for comments.

BJSLIV - no this isn't first payment; previous payments went straight into bank account without any problems and we haven't changed banks or done anything else silly like that...

Judith - coincidence or synchronicity or serendipity - whatever - you did make me smile ... Thanks for comments. I was just interested as to whether this was a widespread problem or just us being unlucky for some reason.  You've given me a bit more info - and I think I'll phone the bods in DWP again just to check that nothing's gone wrong.

Otherwise OH says we'll have to restrict number of logs on fire to three a day, wear 3 jumpers and if we get freezing cold it'll be 'wrap up in a duvet time' - oh the joys of living in a warmer climate.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year to you both

Chessie

[Hoddy]

The answer may be something to do with your surname. I received mine well before Christmas; the first letter of my surname is near the beginning of the alphabet.

My OH's surname is near the end of the alphabet and his hasn't arrived yet.

This happened last year too.

Hoddy

[chessie]

Thanks Hoddy - your comment re surname is interesting and is a possible explanation as well.

Just as well our surname isn't 'Xerxes' or 'Zorathustra' (?)- we'd probably have to wait until heat-wave weather !!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year - and thanks

Chessie

 

[Briank]

Aren't you all lucky to be receiving a winter fuel allowance!! Although I have to pay tax in UK (a local government pension) they won't pay me the fuel allowance because I wasn't receiving it before we moved to France. I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have to pay them my tax. I've even written to Gordon Brown but it was passed to some other person who couldn't give me a simple answer and advised me to contact the tax office. Well I guess we will have to hope the mild weather continues.

Brian & Jan   (86)

[Teamedup]

Yeah but, when we leave France, the french will still be taking big loads of dosh off us for all sorts of things, including for health care and income tax and at highly inflated rates, and to add insult to injury, we lose being members of the Secu.

Apparently it is the way things are with greedy governments and anyway, everyone knows that if you aren't getting these fuel payments before leaving then you don't get them.

[Logan]

[quote user="Briank"]

Aren't you all lucky to be receiving a winter fuel allowance!! Although I have to pay tax in UK (a local government pension) they won't pay me the fuel allowance because I wasn't receiving it before we moved to France. I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have to pay them my tax. I've even written to Gordon Brown but it was passed to some other person who couldn't give me a simple answer and advised me to contact the tax office. Well I guess we will have to hope the mild weather continues.

Brian & Jan   (86)

[/quote]

You are not alone in this. There are a considerable number of people effected. Mostly by simply moving to Europe a few months before pension was due and thereby disqualified themselves from receiving the allowance. It's a real injustice and there are moves afoot to take the case to the European court. However under the European regulations affecting pensions there is no provision to force the government to pay up. Any action is likely to fail. G. Brown is saving money so is unlikely to change anything voluntarily.

[Benjamin]

So if all those ex-pats denied payment, and Winter Fuel Payments aren't the only benefit affected here, were all to register to vote in said Mr Brown's constituency would we see a change in attitude?[:D]