WINTER FUEL PAYMENTS

Following a recent judgement in the European Courts
(Daily Telegraph 24th August 2012) winter fuel payments are now being
paid to UK pensioners living in the member states of the European Union.

Previously pensioners who were in receipt of the allowance before moving to a member state could continue to receive it. However if you are one of the many who either moved after reaching pension age or have attained pension age whilst
living in a member country you can now claim the allowance.
The qualifyingweek for this winter was 17-23rd September 2012

It is necessary to claim by completing Form WFP3(EEA) which you can either download from the internet or by requesting a form from the International Pension Centre,
Newcastle. Tel +44 191 2187777.
Husband and wives just require one form as there is provision for them on the aforementioned application.

To qualify a member of your household must have been born before the 5th July 1951. The rates vary according to how many persons live in the household and their age. Generally the allowance for two qualifying persons under 80 is £200pa. (£100 each) Unfortunately back payments after 2001 are not allowed.

The allowance can be paid either directly into your local account or
a UK bank. The choice is yours and it is not necessary to have the allowance paid in the same way as your UK State Pension.

The closing date for receiving claims is 31st March 2013.

Just how long is it going to take them to implement temperature restrictions on the payment I wonder.

Yes but now look what you nasty expats have done Mr Clegg is talking about taking this and the free bus pass of Millionaires to pay for you lot getting it, I hope you all feel sorry for them.

It's a stupid idea and the complications haven't been thought through. They will never come up with a workable system due to the huge variations in the climate across Europe.

Take my case, living on the Costa Tropical in Granada province. they would almost certainly use the weather records for Granada city and that would almost certainly qualify although there is a huge difference between Granada and the coast. Even some of the weather forecasts show temperatures for the coast based on the nearest airport which is in Granada!

Hola
What is meant by qualifing week? On the claim form It says you must answer 2 questions 'yes' one being have you stayed in U.K. for one day during September. How many of us have done this. Not me. Anyone help please?

I think you have the wrong form. The new one only asks if you have been in prison, in hospital or in a care home - it doesn't ask if you were in the UK for that week.

The correct form is here http://goo.gl/Z6LHv

if you take Malaga as being at sea level, Granada is 750metres asl - in old money thats about half a mile up
and after having one day of rain (our first since April) the Sierra's have already started gathering a white tablecloth.

Same here Dom, we can't even see our mountains, they went missing two days ago... and with an amber alert weather warning coming from the council I doubt we will see them again for a while yet as we are sat in cloud.

We are about the same height as you are Dom, after two days of rain the temperature here is the same as in the UK.
We have put the shorts away, brought out the winter clothes and bedding and we have all the windows and doors closed.
What happened to summer...last week we had forty degrees not fourteen.

Its only right and proper for people to claim pensions abroad but claiming winter fuel allowance is taking the pee.

Disagree.

I am still having to pay U.K. taxes, with little or no benefits from paying those taxes.

So if a winter fuel allowance is paid into my bank, so be it. I'm not rejecting it.

These allowances to pensioners should only be paid if you live in the UK. Why should tax payers fund those living in the sun! Paid taxes to a country is to run that country you pay the taxes in not to subsidize people in other countries! Next thing they will be claiming bus passes in Spain!

....and why not? I will be retiring next year and I intend to live in Spain. I have worked and paid taxes all of my working life in the UK. I should be eligible to claim the same benefits as any other pensioner. At present in an attempt to be "green" I use the bus to work every morning. Even at 7.30 am It is full of people with bus passes claiming free bus rides, paid for by my taxes. I see no reason why I should not get whatever benefits I am entitled to, when my turn comes, irrespective of where I chose to live!
Pete

UK pensioners have generally paid tax to the UK all their working lives & are still doing so

the state pension is taxed in the UK unless they choose to have it taxed in Spain

Please remember this is an EU ruling, if you were receiving it in the UK you would continue to receive it, all it has done is to make it available to ALL UK pensioners living in the EU, if you don't want it, then don't claim it.. simples.. Bus passes a totally different thing as they are dealt with by local councils, and rules do vary. The local councils receive a sum of money from central government to cover this. Pensioners in Spain in some areas do get reduced bus fares in the same way that Spanish citizens do.

Bus pass regulations can be different dependent on where you are living, here we can't use the bus before 9:30am Monday to Friday, In Lincolnshire we could use the bus at any time of the day, but our Lincolnshire passes were only valid in other areas from 9:30am Mon - Fri.