To say the £35k winter fuel threshold is way too high!

[chocolateismyweakness4]

The threshold needed to be raised, but £35k?! I wish I earned that and I have a mortgage and commuting costs. It also doesn’t take into account savings (so they could have millions in the bank) or household income.

We all know it’s a bribe, but they still won’t get pensioners to vote for them.

YABU - £35k isn't much money at all these days.

Maybe not if you’re living a high end lifestyle. If you don’t have a mortgage, rent, commuting costs, childcare etc yes it is! I don’t earn that from working full time. Pensioners also don’t have NI taken from their income.

Does the £35k include state pension?

It's gone from one extreme (too low) to the other.

I can well imagine how someone on just the state pension needs help - and should get it. But someone on almost £3000 per month does not need a £200 winter fuel payment fgs.

Yes absolutely it needed to be raised, but not this much.

It’s ridiculous. £35,000 is loads especially with no mortgage or rent. They’re scared of the old voters

So many better ways to spend that money

It's more than I earned as a teacher after tax when I was working. I am now retired and not one of the people who complained when I didn't get the Winter Fuel payment. I think the threshold was too low before but I was surprised to learn it is now this high.

Funny what money they can find when they're scared of a demographic voting for another party isn't it?

It’s an absolute joke. If you’re earning almost £3k a month you do not need help to pay your heating bills.

The winter fuel payment is such a piddlingly small amount, I really don't care either way about this. It's just £200, FFS, our monthly energy bill is £500 in winter. But it is good it is being reinstated for our ordinary pensioners because £35k is equal to two people on a state pension plus a fairly standard private pension. It is probably the national average, when taking into account the very rich pensioners. And those saying it's more than they earn after tax, these pensions will also be taxed. What really needs to happen is for our state pension to be a reasonable amount so that we didn't need these little extras.

I assume this is taxable income so savings income will be included, and not all pensioners have a bought and paid for house, many are renting. A lot of people on here seem to find it impossible to make ends meet on £75k or more!

Plenty of pensioners do pay rent and increasing number have mortgages. As those over £11k aren’t in the benefits system then the only way to do this is this way via tax returns or do full benefit type assessments of income and outgoings for every household with a pensioner. There would have been a backlash if they said every pensioner had to do a tax return to get it. It also reflects older pensioners are on fixed incomes and indoors much more. There’s also a benefit to nhs if they stay healthy.

its 35k EACH isn’t it, not per household? So a retired couple could be getting £6000 a month income and still qualify?! My mind is totally boggled by this.

yes was far too low
tjis is ABSURDLY high

Daily Telegraph still moaning about some being ‘denied’ it…

Is it per person or per household? Per person it seems way too high as £10k over minimum wage but per household is probably reasonable

they really don't know what they are doing. It was extremely low beforehand and now has been raised to a rather high level. What's going on?

Correct, it’s per person not per household. It also doesn’t take savings into account, so you could have £1million in your bank account but still get it.

My husband earns less than this in the emergency services. It's ridiculous

If you can’t make ends meet on £75k you must have a very high mortgage/rent, high childcare costs, or just a live an extravagant lifestyle.

Once again people indulge in identity politics and casual ageism.

Although I do think it's slightly high if their income is 35k a year they wouldn't actually be getting an income of £3k a month, they would still be paying tax on that amount.

Its to high - just begging for votes.
laughable really when theyre robbing the disabled.

True but they pay less tax than working people on that amount, as they won’t be paying NI. Plus they won’t have student loans deducted either, which many working people will these days.

My parents will get it and they have 700k assests. Its a joke.