State pensioners who missed out on the Winter Fuel Payment in December have been told they’re eligible for separate £200 payments. The benefit is means tested, meaning not all pensioner households qualified for the payment.
Applicants who applied for Pension Credit in December were also eligible to receive Winter Fuel Payments, worth between £200 and £300. However the deadline, which fell on Saturday, December 21, has now passed.
But pensioner households living in the borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, have been told they can get a separate £200 off the council. Special £200 payments have been set aside by Sandwell Council for households struggling with costs.
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The payments have been funded via the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF), which has allocated Sandwell Council more than £3.4million up until March 2025. The money will go towards supporting residents struggling financially.
As part of Sandwell’s HSF allocation, the local authority said this funding will provide £200 payments for “nearly 4,000 pensioners on low incomes who won’t receive a Winter Fuel Payment”. This will be for households who receive Council Tax Reduction but not Pension Credit. To find out more about these payments, click here.
A spokesperson for Sandwell Council said: “This payment will be sent to eligible households in a letter from the end of December that can be cashed at a Post Office.”