Be sure to gather in your winter fuel money

Be sure to gather in your winter fuel money

By Jeff Robson Last Updated: 12:01am BST 02/10/2007

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Some expats could be entitled to a winter fuel payment from the UK government.

Building up a roaring fire (or just turning the central heating up to maximum) to keep out the chill of a British winter may be something most expats are happy to leave behind.

But many of them are still entitled to a winter fuel payment from the UK government - and, as new research from Bank of Scotland International proves, they're making the most of it.

During winter 2006, British expatriates claimed more than £6.5 million in winter fuel payments while living abroad.

The largest portion of expatriates receiving the payments came from Spain, where almost £3.5 million was paid out. The next highest was in France, with just over £1.5 million received.

In the UK, most people over the age of 60 who meet the qualifying conditions are eligible to receive a winter fuel payment to help pay towards heating bills during the colder months.

This is usually paid automatically to any person receiving a UK state pension or other social security benefit, excluding housing benefit, council tax benefit or child benefit, and does not affect any other benefits received.

To qualify for a payment for this winter, the pensioner must have been resident in the UK during the week of September 17-23, 2007, or have been resident during a previous qualifying week.

Payments are normally made from November onwards and all applications for winter 2007-2008 must be received by March 30, 2008.

It is also possible for some pensioners living outside the UK to claim this tax-free assistance. To qualify, the expatriate must have qualified for a payment before leaving the UK and reside in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. There are some exceptions to this; for more details, please see:

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Tony Wilcox, managing director of Bank of Scotland International, said: "Even though many expatriates choose to escape the colder months in the UK by moving to a warmer climate, their fuel bills are still likely to increase during the winter.

"Many expatriates do not realise that they are still eligible to receive a winter fuel payment despite living overseas."

Anyone who feels they may be eligible should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre in Cardiff on + 44 29 2042 8635.

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