More than 11.6 million pensioners will start to receive up to £600 from Wednesday to help with their energy bills this winter.
Winter Fuel Payments, which have been boosted this year by an additional £300 per household Pensioner Cost of Living payment, will land in bank accounts over the next two months.
The vast majority of payments will be made automatically, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: “We want to do everything we can to support pensioners who are often the most exposed to higher costs.
“That’s why we’re providing all pensioner households with an additional £300 on top of their Winter Fuel Payments to heat their homes and stay warm this winter.”
While most payments will be automatic in November or December, some people may need to make a claim, such as those who qualify but do not receive benefits or the state pension and have never previously received a winter fuel payment, the DWP said.
Many have begun receiving the payments but have been left confused by a detail seen on their bank statement - “DWP WFP.”
With the hike in fraud attempts and scams around such government support payments, pensioners among other recipients are sceptical over the source of the payment.
What does DWP WFP mean?
The money received by millions across the country today will appear in bank statements with the payment reference starting with the customer’s national insurance number followed by “DWP WFP” for people living in England, Scotland and Wales, or “DFC WFP” for people in Northern Ireland.
DWP WFP stands for Department of Work and Pensions Winter Fuel Payment while DFC WFP stands for Department for Communities Winter Fuel Payment.
Those who do not receive payment by 13 January 2023 should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre, the DWP said.
HMRC has warned people to watch out for bogus texts and emails from scammers pretending to offer cost-of-living payments, which may try to trick them into handing over personal details.
Over seven million payments of £324 have already been made this month to low-income households as part of this government’s cost of living support.
This includes pensioners receiving pension credit.
The average pension credit award is worth more than £3,500 a year, and for those pensioners who may be eligible but are yet to make an application, there is still time to do so and qualify for the additional £324 payment.
This is because pension credit claims can be backdated by up to three months, provided the entitlement conditions are met throughout that time.
To ensure that a successful backdated claim falls within the qualifying period for the extra £324 cost-of-living help, pensioners are being urged to claim pension credit as soon as possible, and by no later than December 18.
An online pension credit calculator is available to help pensioners check if they are likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive.
