DWP error leaves 40,000 hard-up households without winter heating payment – will you get a letter on your doormat?
THOUSANDS of struggling households have been left without vital energy bill help following a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) error.
The Winter Heating Payment (WHP) is made automatically by Social Security Scotland to those on a low income or benefits once a year.
It is the Scottish equivalent of the Cold Weather Payment, which is made to households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The energy bill help is worth £58.75.
But around 37,000 households have missed out on the payment due to an error made by the DWP when passing claimant details to the Scottish government, according to The Times
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the social justice secretary, told the publication Social Security Scotland had noticed an issue “with a number of seemingly eligible clients” and had asked the DWP to investigate.
This revealed that thousands of eligible households had been missed and failed to receive their payment.
Anyone who has been affected by the WHP error will receive a letter this week letting them know that they are entitled to the support.
The Sun has contacted the DWP for comment.
It comes after the Scottish government, in line with the rest of the UK, confirmed it will no longer provide winter fuel payments to all pensioners.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed earlier this year that the Winter Fuel Payment would only be given to retirees on pension credit, or other means-tested benefits.
Those who qualify will receive a payment of either £200 or £300.
The Sun has launched a Winter Fuel SOS campaign to help thousands of pensioners worried about their energy bills.
Who is eligible for the Winter Heating Payment?
The WHP is made to households who were receiving certain benefits during what’s known as the “qualifying week”.
This year’s qualifying week is November 4 to November 10.
So, if you were receiving any of the below benefits between the above dates, you should qualify:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Related Employment Support Allowance
- Support for Mortgage Interest
You also have to meet one specific requirement of one of the above qualifying benefits.
Further information can be found on the Scottish Government’s website.
You can also find a checker tool on its website which tells you if you qualify for the payment.
It will ask you questions about where you live, who you live with, what benefits you receive and when you received your benefits.
If you’ve not been paid the WHP and think you are eligible, you should contact Social Security Scotland.
You can do this by calling them on 0800 182 2222.
When will I be paid?
Households entitled to the Winter Heating Payment usually see the cash start landing in their bank accounts from the middle of December with payments being made up until the end of January.
If you are in line for the payment this year, you will also receive a letter from Social Security Scotland beforehand.
The payment has previously appeared alongside the code “WHP” on bank statements.
Almost 400,000 received the WHP payment in the winter of 2022/23.
What is the Winter Fuel Payment?
Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains all you need to know about the payment.
The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help cover the cost of heating through the colder months.
Most who are eligible receive the payment automatically.
Those who qualify are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.
If you do meet the criteria but don’t automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.
You’ll qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment this winter if:
- you were born on or before September 23, 1958
- you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known as the “qualifying week”
- you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit
If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both the following apply:
- you live in Switzerland or a EEA country
- you have a “genuine and sufficient” link with the UK social security system, such as having lived or worked in the UK and having a family in the UK
But there are exclusions – you can’t get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain.
This is because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.
You will also not qualify if you:
- are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you can not claim public funds
- were in prison for the whole “qualifying week”
- lived in a care home for the whole time between 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Payments are usually made between November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.