UK Winter Fuel Payment

[Lyric]

Well the form I'm looking at goes to 2007.

[El Cid]

The one on the page you linked to gives this one http://goo.gl/KfPL2

What's the URL of the form you are looking at?

Sid

[Lyric]

http://tinyurl.com/cu3r7ek

[El Cid]

The one I gave is for prior to 2000 and yours is for after that. All very confusing.

Either way, based on that you can't make any sort of claim later than the end of March after the year for which you are claiming due to time limits introduced after 2000.

Sid

[Laslomas]

I contacted the International Pensions Centre Winter Fuel Allowance department by phone this morning and spoke to a really helpful lady called Joan. She said that they do not have the forms available yet but they are expected soon, but they are available online. I asked her to send me a form once they have them, but I will probably print the online one and complete that. I told her I had seen forms online to claim for previous years and asked if it was possible to make a claim from outside UK and she said "no" as the change has only just come in and it is not retrospective - shame!!

[Lyric]

Thanks for that LL My OP was only as I was playing hunt the form as Mrs L is now eligable and I found the backdating form which I wasn't aware of, and on that basis thought others might not be aware either. Not relevant to us then !

[Mowser]

Just downloaded the form
http://tinyurl.com/9o5wkr4

[Lyric]

Thanks Dave saves "hunt the form"

[peteroldracer]

Have I got this right?
It looks to me to be exactly as it was - you had to be resident in the UK during the qualifying week?

We seem to be amongst a very small number of people who have not lied about when we left the UK, so have never received it - OH was 60 in the January of 2005, which is when we left the UK to come and live permanently in Spain, and I was living here before my 60th birthday.

I don't mind swapping the benefits of lower taxes and duties on many things here for the loss of the WFP, but do object to liars being able to claim it by either 'adopting' a UK address or claiming they were here when they were there, if you see what I mean!

[markwilding]

Peter, calm down

I can understand why you feel aggrieved because someone from the British government should have you phoned personally to explain the changes, bloody buffoons all of them .

Even I know that there has been a change in the law that says everybody who has ever paid into the UK system is entitled to the winter fuel allowance if they are of pensionable age, so I'll have to wait another 11-12 years.

The UK government isn't happy with the ruling and it may be means tested but that's something for the future.

you'll need to download the form to apply

Good Luck

Here's Beachcomber's original link

http://www.politicshome.com/uk/story/27688/

[quebin]

I rang the Newcastle Pensions Overseas office(0044 191 2187777, 8am to 8pm) about this and was told that the online form was not the correct one ,the forms were being printed in September, and they would send one to me as soon as they were available.Not arrived!

[peteroldracer]

.Not arrived!

My flabber has never been so gasted!

[Mowser]

object to liars being able to claim it by either 'adopting' a UK address or claiming they were here when they were there, if you see what I mean!

Wrong. The rules were changed. The part about "qualifying week" means you wouldn't be allowed to claim if you were in hospital, prison etc.

[markwilding]

I rang the Newcastle Pensions Overseas office(0044 191 2187777, 8am to 8pm) about this and was told that the online form was not the correct one

The form looks fine to me.There are restrictions for the qualifying week but they seem to be for situations like if you're in prison or in a nursing home during that period.

[Lyric]

Or Comares, don't forget that

[quebin]

I can only comment on what I was told,that the form I had downloaded from the link on this forum was for people who are living in the UK and that a new form for expats was being produced.

[peteroldracer]

It is, to put it mildly, unclear.
When talking about liars and cheats I was of course referring to the time before any change in the rules...there are lots of suntanned people residing permanently with an aged parent in the Northeast of the UK, and other areas

[Mowser]

Here is the blurb from the site. I posted the form where it said ....

Winter Fuel Payment abroad
If you live abroad, you may be able to receive Winter Fuel Payments if all the following apply:

* You have reached women’s State Pension age
* You live in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland
* You have a genuine and sufficient link with the UK, for example, you have lived or worked in the UK for most of your working life

If you are in custody under sentence during the qualifying week (17 to 23 September 2012) then you will not be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment.

Download 'Winter Fuel Payment claim form, EEA and Switzerland - current year 2012/2013 (WFP3EEA)' (PDF, 130K)

... the form again from the above is http://tinyurl.com/9o5wkr4

The incorrect form is for residents in the UK.

[Mowser]

The Directgov site where I got this info is:- http://tinyurl.com/d7s69m4

Drag down to where it says, "Winter Fuel Payment abroad".

[Parilla]

Quebin, what the people at Newcastle are saying is contrary to the information given on the direct.gov website. Under their paragraph heading "How to claim from abroad" , the site links you directly to the specific application form you downloaded, form no. WFP3(EEA) 10/12.

The first page of the form specifically says to complete it if "you are going to live in or are already living in another EEA country or in Switzerland ", and many of the questions in the form are quite clearly directed at people living outside the UK. Also, the form number has (EEA) in it so it seems pretty clear that it's the right one.

My guess would be that you were just unlucky to speak to a plonker, they seem to employ plenty of them.

Parilla