Winter Fuel Payment

[AliceA]

Really, 5% interest you say, which supplier do you use, do mind me asking?

We use Ovoenergy. We have been with them just after they started because they were the first with a simple tariff.
It is a on line account.
I build it up during the summer to well cover winter. If I need I could get it refunded.
Up to now service has been good. They have expanded so I hope this will continue, I pay a little extra for the green policy. They plants trees etc.

 

[Sirena]

This thread is perfectly timed for me to ask almost the same question.
My mum has been in a care home since February (I'm still in family home) and has just been sent the £300 winter allowance. I was shocked as I did not think it would apply now.
I don't wish to keep anything we/she is not legally entitled to, so was wondering if I should contact them, in case that department did not know here status.
Or just presume that as it's been paid, then it must be correct otherwise they'd not have sent it.
Would welcome advice on what, if anything I should do.

I would give them a call.
My mother moved into a care home in February this year, she's self funded. She has received what seems to be the correct amount of £150. I didn't officially inform the DWP that she had moved, but I applied for the full rate of Attendance Allowance for her in April, which included giving her new address at the care home. I guess if I hadn't done that they wouldn't have realised she'd moved.

 

[Ray96]

We use Ovoenergy. We have been with them just after they started because they were the first with a simple tariff.
It is a on line account.
I build it up during the summer to well cover winter. If I need I could get it refunded.
Up to now service has been good. They have expanded so I hope this will continue, I pay a little extra for the green policy. They plants trees etc.

Thanks for that Alice.

 

[Snafs]

My Dad went into care at the end of August and received his WFA last week, it was his usual amount so like you guys I called DWP to confirm this was correct and they told me it was, I had expected him to receive £150 as stated on the goverment website, I was told next year he would receive this amount or nothing at all

Thanks. A bit like me, but mum moved in Feb as opposed to your Dad in August.
I have found the council and other dept's to be very good and getting things correct, so am wondering if I should just assume they know what they are doing and not stir things up by phoning them, and presume it will be zero next year.
It's nothing to do with the money, it just I want to not stir things up as I say.
On the other hand I don't wish to get into legal trouble, I'd easy repay it at any time so no problem there, if they asked.
Wondering it to just leave till next year, as then I'd presume it would be nothing.

To those who did phone up about this. did they ask any difficult questions about finances or anything?

 

[Baker17]

I can’t make sense of the winter fuel allowance, my husband moved into full time care in July 2017 last year we both got £100 I rang and they said it would sort it’s self out this year. In the last fortnight my husband got a letter addressed to his care home saying he would be getting £100 and this week I got a letter saying I was getting £200 and both amounts have gone into our bank accounts, so I really don’t know what’s going on, I’ll just wait and see if they contact me or him about the payments, I’ve got enough going on without chasing another official

 

[AliceA]

One year we had a mistake. I wrote to inform. Later I was told it was their mistake so they would not be claiming it back.
I wrote to cover my self, this gave peace of mind. I put the money aside too.

 

[Baker17]

Th

One year we had a mistake. I wrote to inform. Later I was told it was their mistake so they would not be claiming it back.
I wrote to cover my self, this gave peace of mind. I put the money aside too.

Thanks for replying I’ve left the money in my husband’s account, it was discovered accidentally that I’d been paying too much top up in the first home as the financial section of the council hadn’t been told he had dementia and the council here pay more for those people so I’m currently waiting for a repayment running into hundreds of pounds from them, I had to ring them and ask for that, think it’s a case of the left hand doesn’t know what the right hands doing.

 

[AliceA]

Th

Thanks for replying I’ve left the money in my husband’s account, it was discovered accidentally that I’d been paying too much top up in the first home as the financial section of the council hadn’t been told he had dementia and the council here pay more for those people so I’m currently waiting for a repayment running into hundreds of pounds from them, I had to ring them and ask for that, think it’s a case of the left hand doesn’t know what the right hands doing.

I found that when I applied for Council Tax Reduction, I went around the houses several times. Eventually it pulled together. I had a refund that seemed short, it was not explained I would not pay any tax for the rest of this year. So more phone calls. Quite exhausting.

 

[Snafs]

I can’t make sense of the winter fuel allowance, my husband moved into full time care in July 2017 last year we both got £100 I rang and they said it would sort it’s self out this year. In the last fortnight my husband got a letter addressed to his care home saying he would be getting £100 and this week I got a letter saying I was getting £200 and both amounts have gone into our bank accounts, so I really don’t know what’s going on, I’ll just wait and see if they contact me or him about the payments, I’ve got enough going on without chasing another official

I will admit, I'm torn on this point.
Logically I did not think my mother, as she's been in a home since Feb, would get anything.
But reading many posts here, logic does not seem to apply full on this topic
My past experience is the Council and Social Services have been pretty much "on the ball" with finances and have always got things right, even when I have phoned up due to thinking something is wrong (then it's been explained to me, so I understand)
Like yourself, I've been thru a lot, and been thru literal hell earlier on in the year, which has, thank god settled down now. The last thing I wish to do is stir things up.
I can pay the money back in a second if asked.
I'm seriously thinking, just let sleeping dogs lie and do nothing and wait til next year. If there is any payment next year, then I will 100% feel obliged to get into contact, and happily repay anything.
It's not about the money, it's just wishing to keep myself off the radar now I'm recently past a terrible year and it's all settled.

 

[sixy74]

I will admit, I'm torn on this point.
Logically I did not think my mother, as she's been in a home since Feb, would get anything.
But reading many posts here, logic does not seem to apply full on this topic
My past experience is the Council and Social Services have been pretty much "on the ball" with finances and have always got things right, even when I have phoned up due to thinking something is wrong (then it's been explained to me, so I understand)
Like yourself, I've been thru a lot, and been thru literal hell earlier on in the year, which has, thank god settled down now. The last thing I wish to do is stir things up.
I can pay the money back in a second if asked.
I'm seriously thinking, just let sleeping dogs lie and do nothing and wait til next year. If there is any payment next year, then I will 100% feel obliged to get into contact, and happily repay anything.
It's not about the money, it's just wishing to keep myself off the radar now I'm recently past a terrible year and it's all settled.

I know exactly where you are coming from as since Dad went into care I seem to have spent every single day trying to sort things on his behalf and like you things are finally just settling down on that front, now I can concentrate on his illness !!

 

[MaNaAk]

Mum has been in her care home since Junenthis year and I've just had a letter confirming her winter fuel payment has gone into the POA bank account I hold for her

Same here and Yak I've just adressed a thread to you.

MaNaAk

 

[yak55]

Same here and Yak I've just adressed a thread to you.

MaNaAk

 

[jen54]

Can anyone advise me if my dad is still entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment even though he is now living in a care home and I have just sold his house?

I have just received a letter from The Pension Service advising that they have awarded him the payment.

If this is wrong, then I will need to contact them.

I just received notification of same, my mum is in a home, hmrc and dwp are aware.. The allowance has been halved as they say she is no longer living alone
So I take it they have noted the situation so I haven't done anything. I know they have her updated address as the home as I rang to check when I applied for attendance allowance

Thanks.
Elle x

 

[DeMartin]

Mum (in CH) has been awarded winter fuel payment, it’s in an interest bearing account, and there it will stay until needed.
I have quite enough problems with her finances without looking for more with the pensions people.

 

[Elle3]

Hi, I thought I'd update this thread, as I finally have an update regarding the over payment of my dad's Winter Fuel Payment.

You may or may not be aware but my dad passed away in March, so I am now going through the process of applying for Grant of Probate. I applied for this in April and I am still waiting for it to be approved. My dad's estate is quite simple, I'd already sold his home, so no bills, he had a couple of bank accounts and that was it. However, hanging over me is still the fact that he had been overpaid the winter fuel payment and I needed to pay back the DWP for over payment of attendance allowance (another story I won't go into here).

I received a letter today from the DWP Debt Management team, but this was only to tell me dad had been overpaid some of his pension and I needed to pay it back to them. I called them to ask why I hadn't also received a request for the over payment of Attendance Allowance and Winter Fuel Payment. They couldn't help and directed me to speak to the Attendance Team.

So I called them. I chose the wrong option first time and spoke to the Bereavement team who couldn't really help regarding the Attendance Allowance as the system still said it was outstanding. However, she could see that the debt for repayment of Winter Fuel Allowance had been marked as non recoverable, in other words it had been written off due to it being their own error and she said I don't have to pay any of it back.

So this may apply to everyone else who was paid it in error. Fingers crossed.

Elle x

 

[AliceA]

Thank you. I was once overpaid, I wrote but after a long time they wrote it off. Probably easier and cost effective.

 

[Ray96]

Anyone know if I have to apply for probate even though my mum has no assets, just her bank account?

 

[nitram]

Anyone know if I have to apply for probate even though my mum has no assets, just her bank account?

If there is no property involved you most likely do not have to, the bank will release funds initially for funeral costs and then general use.
The 'tell us once' service https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once will sort out all local and national official funds.

 

[Elle3]

Anyone know if I have to apply for probate even though my mum has no assets, just her bank account?

Depends on the bank and how much money is in there. I have just gone through the Probate process with my dad's Estate. He only had a couple of bank accounts but as they amounted to over £50K (Lloyds Bank) I had to apply for Probate.

If you do it is very easy to do on line, especially if there is a Will.

 

[Ray96]

If there is no property involved you most likely do not have to, the bank will release funds initially for funeral costs and then general use.
The 'tell us once' service https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once will sort out all local and national official funds.

Thanks for that.