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Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27: who qualifies and when you'll get paid
Check Winter Fuel Payment eligibility for 2026/27, £100–£300 amounts, payment dates, the claim deadline and the £35,000 income repayment rule.
At a glance
Winter Fuel Payment gives eligible older people £100 to £300 towards heating costs. Most payments for winter 2026 to 2027 are due in November or December 2026, and most eligible people get them automatically. [1]
Two checks matter: whether you qualify, and whether HMRC will later take the payment back because your own income is over £35,000. Getting the money does not always mean you keep it. [1] [6]
This article covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead, with its own amounts. [2] [8] [9]
Key figures
- £100Lowest Winter Fuel Payment. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; depends on age and householdWinter 2026 to 2027 · Current law · Source [1], [3]
- £300Highest Winter Fuel Payment. Not the amount for everyone: depends on age and householdWinter 2026 to 2027 · Current law · Source [1], [3]
- £35,000Income above which HMRC takes the payment back. Your partner's income does not countYour own total income, not your household's · Current law · Source [6]
| Check | Rule |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | On or before 27 June 1960, with other conditions |
| Qualifying week | 21 to 27 September 2026 |
| Payment | £100 to £300, depending on age and household |
| Usual payment window | November to December 2026 |
| No letter or payment? | Contact the payment centre if nothing has arrived by 27 January 2027 |
| Claim deadline, if you need to claim | 31 March 2027 |
| Income over £35,000 | HMRC takes the payment back; only your own income counts |
These are the published rules for this winter, not a forecast or a new increase. [2] [3] [5] [10]
Who qualifies?
You must have been born on or before 27 June 1960 and usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Age alone does not settle it. [2]
You do not qualify if, for example, you usually live elsewhere and were only visiting during the qualifying week, your permission to be in the UK says you cannot claim public funds, or you were in prison for the whole of that week. Free hospital treatment for the whole qualifying week and the year before it also rules you out. [2]
You can still qualify in a care home. You are left out only if you get Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA and lived in a care home for the whole time from 29 June 2026 or earlier. See the full eligibility rules ↗ if this applies to you. [2]
Getting Universal Credit or PIP does not by itself make a younger person eligible. The age and other conditions still apply. [2] [4]
How much will you get?
The amount depends on your date of birth and who you lived with during the qualifying week. It is not £300 for everyone. Below, the “younger band” means born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960; the “older band” means born before 28 September 1946, that is, aged 80 or over in the qualifying week. [3]
| Your date of birth | Payment |
|---|---|
| 28 September 1946 to 27 June 1960 | £200 |
| Before 28 September 1946 | £300 |
| Birth dates | Each person gets |
|---|---|
| Both in the younger band | £100 each |
| One in each band | £100 for the younger person, £200 for the older |
| Both in the older band | £150 each |
If you and your partner jointly claim Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA, one payment covers you both: £200 if you are both in the younger band, £300 if either of you is in the older band. In a care home it is £100 or £150. Your letter, and GOV.UK's full list of amounts ↗, cover the other cases. All amounts are before any recovery by HMRC. [3]
When will it arrive?
Letters normally arrive in October or November and say how much you will get and which account it goes into, usually the one your State Pension or other benefits are paid into. Most automatic payments arrive in November or December. There is no single payment day for everyone. [1] [5]
If you have had no letter or payment by 27 January 2027, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. That is a follow-up date, not the claim deadline: if you already know you need to claim, you can claim now. [4] [5]
Do you need to claim?
Most eligible people do not. You are paid automatically if you get the State Pension, Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, PIP, Carer's Allowance or one of the other benefits on GOV.UK's list ↗. [4]
If you get none of them, you need to claim if you have never had a Winter Fuel Payment, or if you have deferred your State Pension since your last one. [4]
You can claim by post or by phone:
- Use the official claim form ↗, or call 0800 731 0160, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. [4] [10]
- Have your National Insurance number and bank details ready, and the date of your marriage or civil partnership if you have one. You may be asked whether you were in hospital, a care home or prison during the qualifying week. [4]
- Claim by 31 March 2027. [10]
The form page gives the postal address and accessible formats. Use these official details rather than links or numbers in messages you did not expect: a message asking for bank details or passwords could be a scam. [1] [10]
What if your income is over £35,000?
HMRC takes the payment back if your total income is over £35,000. Your partner's income does not count towards yours. [6]
Two partners each have £25,000 of income. Together that is £50,000, but neither is over £35,000, so HMRC does not take either payment back. This example is about recovery only; it does not decide whether you qualify or how much you get.
To check, use HMRC's checker from its income guidance ↗. It asks for the income you expect in the tax year before any deductions, so do not compare the threshold with what reaches your bank account each month. [6]
HMRC usually collects the money through your tax code, or through your Self Assessment bill if you send a return. If you use Making Tax Digital software, you cannot pay it back when you submit; wait for HMRC to write to you. [6]
Our payslip checker can help you check the deductions on a payslip. It does not decide Winter Fuel Payment or work out this recovery.
Can you still opt out?
No, not for this winter: the opt-out for 2026 to 2027 has closed. The opt-out for winter 2027 to 2028 opens on 21 December 2026. [7]
If you opted out before and want a payment this winter, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre before 31 March 2027. [7]
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland: you cannot get Winter Fuel Payment. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment replaces it, and Social Security Scotland lists payments of £105.55 to £316.70, with letters sent from November 2026. Most eligible people get it automatically, but some must apply. The individual £35,000 rule applies there too. Use the Scottish guidance ↗, not the tables above. [1] [8]
Northern Ireland: nidirect says the rules are the same as in England and Wales, and points to GOV.UK for the details. Its Winter Fuel Payment page ↗ also explains the income rule. [9]
Is this the same as Cold Weather Payment or Warm Home Discount?
No. They are separate schemes with their own rules.
| Scheme | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Winter Fuel Payment | A once-a-year payment for eligible older people, covered here |
| Cold Weather Payment | £25 for each 7-day spell when the local average temperature is recorded or forecast at 0°C or below, between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027, if you get certain benefits [11] |
| Warm Home Discount | A one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill, not money paid to you [12] |
Scotland has Winter Heating Payment instead of Cold Weather Payment, and Warm Home Discount does not apply in Northern Ireland. Qualifying for one scheme does not mean you qualify for another. [11] [12]
What this means for you
- Check your date of birth and where you lived in the qualifying week, and read any letter you get.
- Work out whether you need to claim; if you do, claim by 31 March 2027.
- If your own income might be over £35,000, read HMRC's guidance before treating the payment as money to spend.
For changes coming next April, see the Universal Credit increase in April 2027 and the Child Benefit increase in April 2027. They do not affect this winter's payment. General information, not a benefits decision or personal tax advice.
Check the official rules for your own case.
Sources and method
Checked 8 November 2026 against GOV.UK's Winter Fuel Payment guide (overview, eligibility, amounts, claims, payment dates, income over £35,000 and opt-out), DWP's claim form page (updated 20 October 2026), mygov.scot and nidirect. Cold Weather Payment and Warm Home Discount are from their GOV.UK pages.
These are the published rules for winter 2026 to 2027, not a forecast or a new increase. Amounts are one-off seasonal payments before any HMRC recovery, not weekly or monthly rates.
The household tables cover common cases from GOV.UK's list. 'Younger band' means born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960; 'older band' means born before 28 September 1946, that is aged 80 or over in the qualifying week of 21 to 27 September 2026.
The £25,000 + £25,000 example shows only that the £35,000 test is individual. It does not decide eligibility or the amount paid.
Use HMRC's official guidance to check which income counts and how any repayment will be collected. No PayCalc calculator assesses Winter Fuel Payment or its recovery.
- GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment ↗, Amount range, letters, payment season, scams and Scotland. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment: eligibility ↗, Birth-date cut-off, residence, exclusions and care homes. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment: how much you'll get ↗, Qualifying week and amounts by household. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment: check if you need to claim ↗, Benefits that mean automatic payment, when to claim, phone and post. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment: when you'll get paid ↗, Payment window and the 27 January 2027 follow-up date. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK / HM Revenue & Customs, Winter Fuel Payment: if your income is over £35,000 ↗, Individual income test and how HMRC takes the payment back. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Winter Fuel Payment: opt out ↗, Window closed for 2026 to 2027; next opens 21 December 2026; opting back in. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- mygov.scot, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment ↗, Scotland's separate payment and amounts. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- nidirect, Winter Fuel Payment ↗, Northern Ireland: same rules as England and Wales. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- Department for Work and Pensions, Winter Fuel Payment claim form ↗, Form for winter 2026 to 2027 and the 31 March 2027 deadline; updated 20 October 2026. Published 31 July 2013. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Cold Weather Payment ↗, Amount, temperature trigger, season and Scotland. Accessed 8 November 2026.
- GOV.UK, Warm Home Discount Scheme ↗, Electricity bill discount and where it applies. Accessed 8 November 2026.
This article is general information, not financial advice. Check your own position before you act.