Clients not eligible for Winter Energy Payment

There are situations when a person is not eligible for the Winter Energy Payment.

These are when:

• they or their partner do not receive a qualifying benefit
• they are residing overseas and receiving a portable payment of a qualifying benefit under the General or Special Portability provisions or paid under a social security agreement with another country
• they are in a residential care facility and receive Residential Care Subsidy (but any partner in the community will continue to be eligible for the couple rate)
• they are in a Residential Support Subsidy facility (but any partner in the community will continue to be eligible for the couple rate)
• they are in hospital and receive the hospital rate of payment and a decision has been made to not continue to pay Winter Energy Payment
• they receive an Unsupported Child's Benefit or Orphan's Benefit but do not receive any other qualifying benefit
• they receive a Student Allowance
• the clients partner is already receiving the Winter Energy Payment for the couple
• they have chosen not to receive a Winter Energy Payment

Note if a single caregiver gets an Unsupported Child’s Benefit or Orphan's Benefit and also gets a qualifying benefit the child is regarded as a dependent child for the Winter Energy Payment rate of payment. This means the caregiver can receive the higher dependent child rate.