Pensioners forced to wait for winter fuel payments until the spring as decision delays grow
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Newly revealed figures show that at the start of December, pensioners faced an average wait of 106 days for their winter fuel payments. Tens of thousands of pensioners face waiting until Spring for their winter fuel payment as new figures reveal the scale of delays following Labour changes.
![[Pensioners had until 21 December to apply for a backdated winter fuel payment for 2024]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/17/13/iStock-2180100493.jpg)
In December, The Independent revealed that many pensioners were waiting over 100 days for their winter fuel payment, even if they applied in good time. But new statistics from the DWP show that this wait had become the norm by the start of the month. Following reports of an average 65-working day wait for the payment, the figure spiked to 82 by the end of November. At the start of December, it grew again to 83, equal to waits of around 106 days when including weekends. This means many pensioners will not see their payment until March – enduring Winter and the cold snap without it.
![[Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves said winter fuel payment decision was not one she ‘wanted to make’ in July]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/16/07/SEI235599209.jpg)
Joanna Elson, chief executive of Independent Age, a charity supporting older people facing financial hardship, said there figures were alarming. “It is clear [the DWP] are struggling to handle the influx of enquires sparked by the UK Government’s decision to tie the Winter Fuel Payment to Pension Credit. There is a real person behind each application that is worried about having enough money to turn the heating on,” she said.
“With the recent cold snap, this uncertainty on whether they are eligible for pension credit and the winter fuel payment could cause many older people to cutback on other essentials like food so they can afford to turn the heating on, and others will have not turned the heating on at all, risking their physical and mental health.”.
