Winter fuel payment restored for all pensioners on less than £35k

Winter fuel payment restored for all pensioners on less than £35k



Posted by theipaper

16 comments

  2. Absolutely insane that someone below pension age could be in a minimum wage job, earning £23,809.50 a year and paying rent/mortgage, whilst a pensioner on £34,999/year gets a fuel payment despite having no rent or mortgage to pay.

    Edit: I am not saying *all* pensioners are mortgage free and on £34,999/year. I shouldn’t need to clarify this, but many people replying don’t seem to be understanding this, instead getting angry over an argument they’ve invented in their head.

    Anyone replying with “wah wah not all pensioners are on £34,999/year and mortgage free” or variations, I’m just going to block you for getting angry over arguments you’re inventing in your own head.

  3. The vast majority of pensioners will receive the [winter fuel payment](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/winter-fuel-cut-u-turn-too-late-repair-damage-labour-insiders-warn-3678614?srsltid=AfmBOoogwiQFc7VLj33P1TqhuXvfA64rbnZ5rWARTkiiFiyll2JF6qtp&ico=in-line_link) this year, the Government has announced as Rachel Reeves [confirmed a £1.25bn U-turn](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/winter-fuel-u-turn-after-no10-overcomes-opposition-from-rachel-reeves-3707546?srsltid=AfmBOoprSB32WrVEIn5jQbZKUXCn6zD-kK7dbkfbGapDj73umFDXJC3G&ico=in-line_link).

    Anyone over 66 who has an income of or less than £35,000 a year will be eligible for the payment this winter, while those earning more will still be sent the money but then have it clawed back through the tax system.

    The announcement, which comes ahead of Wednesday’s[ spending review](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/reeves-spending-review-tax-rises-3737540?ico=most_popular&srsltid=AfmBOooYGZak1fzHducaciau-_cxV3gbENZfjFx1ADbyCDju30IgE1Lt), leaves a black hole of £1.25bn in the public finances which the Chancellor will need to fill at the autumn Budget through higher taxes, spending cuts elsewhere or faster economic growth.

    It comes as part of an attempt by the Labour leadership to shore up support among their own MPs and the public in the wake of a[ poor local election result ](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/labour-no-plan-deal-with-reform-despite-by-election-win-insiders-fear-3736120?ico=most_popular&srsltid=AfmBOoqJOP_q5T1co4Vv1ktbFlh0f81i_09SgJGbxG193b69S870Akf7)last month.

    *The i Paper* was first to report in mid-May that a winter fuel U-turn was on the cards, and also first to report that a change would be sped up so that it would come in time for this winter rather than waiting until the Budget.

    Reeves restricted the payment last year to people on pension credit, which amounted to just 1.3 million out of the nearly 11 million pensioners in England and Wales.

    Under the new rules, all pensioners will receive the winter fuel payment – worth £200 for under-80s and £300 for those aged 80 or older – unless they choose to opt out through a new mechanism being set up.

    Those with a taxable income of more than £35,000 will then repay the money through the tax system, via either PAYE or self-assessment. The Government estimates that around 9 million people will be eligible for the payment this winter.

    Those who get their money via capital gains or dividend, rather than income, will still be able to receive the winter fuel payment.

    In theory, the clawback mechanism could see the estates of higher-earning pensioners who have died forced to repay their winter fuel allowance, but the Treasury said that HMRC would not seek repayment from deceased people whose only tax debt is winter fuel.

    Reeves said: “Targeting winter fuel payments was a tough decision, but the right decision because of the inheritance we had been left by the previous government. It is also right that we continue to means-test this payment so that it is targeted and fair, rather than restoring eligibility to everyone including the wealthiest.

  4. How much time and effort has been wasted fucking about on this change which has now been rolled back?

  5. I’m on less than £35K, can I get a Winter Fuel Payment?

    Oh no, wait, silly me, I’m still of working age, so I have to work harder to make more money to send to non-working pensioners who are wealthier than me so they can pay their bills, and I can just go freeze, apparently.

    Wonderful.

  6. If they can’t hold their nerve on this then how will they ever do any difficult change lol

  7. This is a classic example of why government can’t get things done right. The government is broke and decides to cut some spending (rightfully) but it has lost support (while doing the right thing) and now it’s made a u turn to appease the people while it take on more debt and messes up its finances.

  8. I’m on less than that with a family, why can’t I have it ? This is another case of F the working people younger people .

  10. Can they just stop over correcting?

    How it was before was too low and meant that you had to be earning less than state pension to qualify.

    Now they’ve over corrected and anyone earning less than average national salary qualifies, which is just going to piss off everyone who earns less than that already but gets no support because of their age.

    Easy fix in my opinion is to give it to anyone on less than minimum wage. You know, like how everyone else gets their benefits.
    But at least it’s better than every single one of them getting it no matter what.

  11. Folded like a house of cards.

    So much for those tough decisions.

  12. Where do you start?

    The median wage for those working full time in the UK is £35,000. Someone on minimum wage working full time will earn over £20,000. 

    Therefore we are saying that taxpayers will fund heating for pensioners who “earn” for more than someone on a low wage and comparative to those on the median UK wage.

    Difference is that working wage age citizens will have more then likely have a combination of the following

    1) Child costs – childcare, nursery fees, uni costs and all the child rearing costs in between

    2) Mortgage or Rent – at a real time level far higher than the boomers

    3) Pension costs because we all know the retirement age for state pension will be means tested and or far later in life

    4) Many will be saddled with uni debt

    Many pensioners able to claim will be living in fully paid up property and/or have savings. Labour have screwed anyone under the age of 65 with this decision because it will us and our kids paying for the debt burden on the most wealthy generation ever..

  13. Is that £35k per fucking person? Are you taking the piss? I could maybe understand if that was a household income, and even then £35k is generous, but per person is a complete piss take.

    I don’t earn £35k a year, and me and my wife support three kids. Where’s my winter fuel allowance?

  14. But yet they still cutting PIP for millions of people without an eye batter but rich pensions are cool

  15. Disappointing to see the government folding so easily under pressure, especially given that it’s a huge overcorrection. There was an LBC call-in where pensioners called in and admitted using their WFP for holidays or pleasure. I can’t verify the authenticity of the callers but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.

  16. If Labour can’t have the balls to stick to their guns on a proposal that made financial sense what hope have they got when they have to make really tough decisions.

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