EXPAT PENSIONERS are free to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment and a £200 windfall
Thursday, August 30, 2012 @ 9:32 PM
EXPAT PENSIONERS were delighted to learn this week they were free to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment and a £200 windfall to help keep warm in Spain’s cold season.
A European Court of Justice ruling earlier this year has forced the UK Government to pay the bonus to its pensioners living in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, yet many people did not know of the change in their benefit rights.
Until the judgement, only pensioners claiming the payment before they left Britain were able to receive it – some 73,000 people. The landmark ruling decision means around 444,000 expats can apply for the cash. Those over 80 receive £300.
Claims for the coming winter, 20012/13, must be made by 31st March 2013 and people must show a “genuine and sufficient” link to the UK – factors to be considered are how long a person lived and worked in Britain and whether they receive a UK State Pension and other benefits.
Only one payment per household will be made and the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) said claims cannot be backdated.
The Winter Fuel Payment has long been a thorny subject. Expats say they paid their taxes while living and working in the UK yet whether they received the allowance was a lottery depending on when they moved to Spain.
Read more at RTN