State pensioners born before 1953 can get a cash boost of £550 before January.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides extra financial support to eligible pensioners who are struggling with essential costs over the winter.

Up for grabs is a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300, a Warm Home Discount worth £150 and Cold Weather Payments worth £25 per week, or £100 if issued every week in December.

It means that there’s a potential to claim up to £550 worth of payments from the DWP before January, providing pensioners with a much-needed cash boost at what is always a very expensive time of the year.

Pensioners who are born before 1953 will qualify for the DWP’s Warm Home Discount Scheme which provides a one-off £150 discount on your electricity bill.

It is paid automatically by energy suppliers, rather than directly into your bank account, and there’s a total of 27 suppliers that are part of the scheme, including British Gas, E.On, EDF, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power.

You’ll qualify for the discount if you get either the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or you’re on a low income and have high energy costs.

Pensioners that meet the eligibility criteria will see the discount applied to their bill between now and March 31, 2025, and don’t need to do anything to apply for it – you’ll get it automatically.

Additionally, anyone claiming Pension Credit will qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment which is worth up to £300. If you’re not already getting the benefit, you have until Saturday, December 21, to submit a claim to get both backdated Pension Credit and your Winter Fuel Payment.

You must have reached State Pension age to qualify and have an income less than £218.15 per week (or £332.95 if you’re a couple). If your income is between £218 and £235 per week (or £333 to £350 for couples) then you may still qualify, but it will depend on your circumstances.

It means that pensioners who claim the Basic State Pension should be eligible for Pension Credit as this only amounts to £169.50. As such if you’re a man born on or after April 6, 1951, or a woman born on or after April 6, 1953, you can apply for the benefit and in turn qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.

If you were born before 1953 and get the New State Pension, you’ll be paid at a rate of £221.20 per week which is above the threshold for Pension Credit eligibility. In this case, you may not be eligible for Pension Credit or the Winter Fuel Payment

 as your income is too high, unless the amount you get is lower due to missing National Insurance qualifying years, for example.

Those who do meet the criteria should get the Winter Fuel Payment which is paid automatically in November or December. You should get a letter from the DWP telling you how much you’re entitled to and which account the money will be paid into.

Finally, pensioners may also be eligible for Cold Weather Payments before January if the temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.

The DWP will pay £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather up to March 31, 2025. It means you could potentially get up to £100 if temperatures are below 0C for four weeks of the month. And with the Met Office forecasting snow over the Christmas period it is likely that payments will be triggered in some postcodes.

If you’re due a payment, the money will appear in your bank within 14 days and the reference will start with your National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP CWP’.