Thousands of households have been urged to act now to secure a £600 free cash towards their energy bills.
The winter fuel payment is made to pensioners in a bid to assist them with the cost during the colder months.
Finance expert Malcolm Grimston has issued a warning to anyone looking to take up the offer, saying it has caused “confusion”.
Speaking on GB News, he said: “There’s a few thousand who this payment hasn’t gone to automatically.
Eligible pensioners have been urged to act now
Pexels“It’s basically the people who aren’t on state pension for some reason but have reached pension age or who have deferred their state pension and haven’t had the payment before.
“If you’re in those groups, you have to apply now.
“We’ve got the winter fuel allowance which goes to pensioners, we’ve got the cold weather payment, which is triggered if the temperature drops below a certain amount.
“There’s the warm homes discount, that’s £150, it doesn’t depend on the weather conditions but does depend on whether you’re on benefits or not.
“All that on top of the £400 we all got through our bills over the past few months.
“All that on top of the energy price guarantee that sits on top of all of this.
“So I think the word ‘complicated’ is terribly well chosen.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealed in December that 11.6 million payments have already been made for this year.
How much you get depends on your age and whether you get certain payments.
Anyone who is eligible, but doesn’t get it automatically, must apply by the end of the day on March 31.
The final day the money should have arrived automatically was on January 13, and those eligible should check their bank statements to see if they have received the payment.
The code on your statement will include your National Instuance number followed by ‘DWP WFP’ if you live in England, Scotland or Wales.
Speaking on GB News, Malcolm Grimston outlined how those available can go about claiming the payment if they are yet to receive it.
He told Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costello: “Most of it comes automatically, for example the warm homes discount goes straight to the energy company and your bill is lower as a result.
“The Government website is rather good at explaining the schemes. Your energy company can also shed some light on this.”