Winter fuel payment?   get away with you. Live in the UK, pay tax in the UK, get the payment. Simple.

Or live in the UK and pay tax until you retire, then sod off abroad still get the winter fuel allowance and spend iy on wine!!! And no I'm not retired and don't get the winter fuel allowance, I just work hard here in Spain but if you have worked all your life and paid into the system then why not

Chris,

 Winter fuel payment?   get away with you. Live in the UK, pay tax in the UK, get the payment. Simple.

Chris,   Not sure how you came to post this but, following you maybe off thread,  I recently had a letter published in a freebie paper, at the request of the editor, telling readers that ex-pats who moved to Spain before they claimed the Allowance ( incorrectly called Winter Fuel Allowance, as there is no mention in the legislation about winter, temperature nor where one lives) that they had a right to claim,  The DWP changed their interpretation following an EU Court of Justice Ruling.

In response to my letter, a reader, just like Chris,  wrote that I had a cheek to claim the allowance as I did not pay my taxes in UK.  My reply letter explained that like many others on UK Government  employee pensions I did pay tax in UK, over £60,000 since moving to Spain and that because of the double taxation agreement  I was unable to choose to pay in Spain, which I would prefer.

For those who still have not claimed the WFA for 2012 / 2013 and would like to, they still have until 31^st March to submit their claim.  The forms are on the internet (private message me if you cannot find them)

Not sure which Chris you were replying to but I wholeheartedly agree, you should be entitled to get it whereever you live

 Are any of you paying nearly 2,000 Euro a year for your heating bills?  No, I thought not..

chrisinspain

Sorry, I should have used the whole name,  it was chris k

But I see he now Chris k thinks that only those who pay £2,000 or more, on heating should get it. As I said the legistlation does not mention temperature nor where one lives, or what they pay.  If it did those in Scotland should have a lot more than those in Devon.   

I wonder if he would like to us who live in Spain to send back some of our pension as its cheaper to live in Spain than in UK . 

I wonder what he thinks not having a vote in the UK is worth,  albeit that, like many,  I pay my tax there ?

 The payment was introduced to help older people who were staggering under their fuel bills, this from the government website. The 2,000 Euro figure I used is now the average in the UK. I wonder what the average is in Spain. Seems like a bit of the 'best of both worlds' approach to me. I like Spain, I spend 6 weeks a year at my friend's place in the mountains of Andalusia and it gets damned cold there I know, BUT it also gets warm, unlike the UK where this year it has been damned cold and cold and, it seems, always wet,

You could get between £100 and £300 tax-free to help pay your heating bills if you were born on or before 5 July 1951. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.

Most payments are made automatically between November and December. You should get your money by Christmas.

You should get a Winter Fuel Payment automatically if you get the State Pension or another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or Child Benefit).

QUOTE "You should get a Winter Fuel Payment automatically if you get the State Pension or another social security benefit"

 Like I said - best of both worlds - go get it - claim form is on the website - I couldn't include the link as this forum forbids it

Chris K  its at:-   Google search:-     DWP wfa   and follow links.

QUOTE "You should get a Winter Fuel Payment automatically if you get the State Pension or another social security benefit"

John...You don't have to have a state pension to get the winter fuel allowance, it's done automatically when you reach 60...they tell you.

I have to go back to work now.....i have a million benefit cheats depending on me.

you don't get a state pension until you are 65

you can get a winter fuel allowance when you are 60 but you have to apply for it

Was just reading through this thread and was reminded of Campasol commenting that the "wealthy" owners on Campasol have installed central heating. I have never heard of anyone who could afford to have a heating system installed being described as wealthy, a bit of an exaggeration i think.

Eileen, I have never heard of anyone who could afford to have a heating system installed being described as wealthy,

Campo did no say one must be wealthy to do it,   but that those who are wealthy, have done it. 

Maybe I misunderstood, it's not only the "smug, wealthy" people who can afford to make their lives far more comfortable, lots of people can but they choose not to. Aren't people contrary.

I can't be bothered  to go back in this old thread to see what I actually said, but, okay, so you don't need to have won the lottery to do it , but it is expensive. Even with CH ,in an uninsulated house with tiled walls etc you are paying to heat the outside. You would need to be wealthy to change all the windows, though!

I do regret not installing a wood burner, as the installed gas fire gobbles gas.

Oh well, back to my trusty mobile gas heater, blanket and hot water bottle, all ready for the evening's viewing.  Luckily all TV channels unchanged!

What is the current temperature ?  I am in Mazarron next week and was hoping I would be in shorts and enjoying some warm sunshine, didnt think I would need a hot water bottle etc.   Can I still get Spanish tv channels? Thank you.

The temp was 21 c today, and yes, people were walking about in t shirts and shorts,  and the sunshine was lovely, but in the evening the temp plummets. Don't know what heating you have in your accomodation, but bring something warm, as many places are not insulated. I wear cosy pyjamas and bedsocks, haven't got out the electric blanket yet, though!

We were lucky as we didn't lose any channels on Camposol with a 1.45 dish, but those with smaller dishes have lost some channels.