Winter Fuel Payment rules are changing – do you qualify?

The criteria is changing to match state pension age – so don’t get caught out, cautions Paul Lewis.

Woman holding a mug and hot water bottle, wrapped up warm.

Getty Images/Peter Dazeley

Published: June 26, 2026 at 11:19 AM

There is an earlier deadline this year to qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment.

Ad

Last year people born on 21 September 1959 or earlier were eligible. But this year the date has been brought forward so only people born 27 June 1960 or earlier will qualify.

That is because state pension age itself is changing, and to qualify you must have reached it in the qualifying week for the payment, which is in September.

This year that week ends on 27 September, so the youngest people to get the Winter Fuel Payment will have been born on 27 June 1960. They will reach state pension age on 27 September 2026, just squeaking into the qualifying week.

The earlier date means many people will be 66 next winter and getting a state pension but not eligible for the extra money.

Winter Fuel Payment is £200 tax-free for a household where at least one person is over pension age, or £300 if at least one is over 80 – which this year means born on 27 September 1946 or earlier.

If there are two qualifying people in the household they share the payment. The payments are half as much for people in a care home.

An individual with an income above £35,000 a year will have the whole of their payment taken back through the tax system from April 2028.

Could you benefit from equity release?

The test is individual, so one half of a couple might keep their payment while a higher-earning partner has theirs taken back. Last winter at least 50,000 pensioners opted out of getting the Winter Fuel Payment to avoid that hassle.

In Scotland the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment follows the same rules but is slightly more, at £211.15 a week and £316.70 from age 80.

The payment is normally made automatically. But if this is your first year of getting it you might be missed if you are not claiming your state pension or any other benefits.

If you have not had yours by January 2027 you should check where it is. For more information, search gov.uk for “Winter Heating Payment” or call 0800 731 016.

Ad

In Scotland, call 0800 182 2222 or search mygov.scot for “Pension Age Winter Heating Payment”.

Find out how much your car is worth with Motorway

Ad

Ad

Ad