From Monday, November 25, approximately 1.3 million pensioner households across England and Wales will begin to receive up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payments, the DWP has confirmed. The majority of these payments will be automatically deposited into pensioners' bank accounts.

The value of a Winter Fuel Payment is £200 for individuals born between September 23, 1944, and September 22, 1958, and £300 for those born before September 23, 1944. The payment will be credited to bank accounts from November 25, with the payment reference beginning with the customer's National Insurance number followed by 'DWP WFP'.

If a payment is not received by January 29, 2025, the department should be contacted. However, this winter's payment has sparked controversy after the Labour government, which took office in July, decided to make it means-tested.

This implies that only pensioners who receive other benefits, such as Pension Credit, will receive it, rather than all pensioners as was previously the case. The Government has defended its decision, arguing that many recipients were wealthy enough not to require it.

However, campaigners have criticised the move, claiming it will leave many pensioners struggling during the coldest month of the year.

In October, charity Age UK highlighted a bleak scenario for pensioners across the nation, revealing its analysis that indicated 10.7 million UK pensioners would be stripped of a crucial benefit. Shockingly, nearly a quarter (23%) of these individuals are living in poverty—with an income less than 60% of the median—or barely above the poverty line.

The charity’s findings pointed out that a staggering 80%, equating to some 800,000, of those aged over 80 who are in poverty or hovering just above it will be excluded from receiving the payment. Additionally, a significant 78%—or 1.1 million—of pensioners with disabilities in similar financial straits will also miss out.

Following the controversial decision, Government officials have been actively directing pensioners to verify their eligibility for Pension Credit, which supplements the income of low-income individuals. They noted that hundreds of thousands have not taken advantage of the benefit when they indeed qualify.

Speaking on the matter, a DWP spokesperson urged action this Monday: "The Government continues to urge pensioners on a low income to apply for Pension Credit before the December 21 deadline – all eligible claimants would receive up to £300 with the Winter Fuel Payment as well as any backdated Pension Credit arrears where applicable."

They added a compelling argument for taking up the offer: "Pension Credit could be worth on average up to £3,900 a year and acts as a gateway to other important benefits including help with housing costs, council tax reductions and NHS treatment costs. The Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee will soon be worth £227.10 a week for a single person and £346.60 for a couple.

"This Government is also providing further protection against energy costs this winter for low-income households through DWP's Cold Weather Payments, paid from November 1 until the end of March 2025. These are an automatic bank top-up of £25, paid to eligible households when the average temperature in the area has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days.

"In addition, the £150 Warm Home Discount scheme has been extended, alongside an additional £1 billion for the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments in 2025 -26, demonstrating this Government's commitment to addressing immediate hardship and crisis for vulnerable families across the country.

"Alongside this seasonal support, the government is committed to supporting pensioners all year round. This includes increasing the basic and new State Pension by 4.1 percent from April 2025, which means the full rate of the new State Pension will rise to over £12,000 a year."