Winter Fuel Payment 2026: who gets £100–£300, and who has to give it back
This winter’s heating payment goes to everyone born on or before 27 June 1960 who lives in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. For most people no claim is needed — the money arrives in November or December. But if your own income is above £35,000, HMRC takes it back through the tax system. Opting out: by phone until 6pm on 18 September, online until 11:59pm on 20 September.
The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual heating payment for people of pension age. For winter 2026/27 it goes to everyone born on or before 27 June 1960 who is living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland during the qualifying week. Scotland runs a separate scheme.
The qualifying week
It runs from Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026. Entitlement is judged on that week: what matters is where you live and how old you are across those seven days, not on the date the money lands.
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The amount depends on your date of birth and who you live with: GOV.UK puts the range at £100 to £300.
If you live alone, or no one you live with is eligible: £200 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, and £300 if you were born before 28 September 1946 — that is, if you are already 80 during the qualifying week.
If someone else in the household is also eligible and nobody receives means-tested benefits, the amount is split: £100 each if both were born after 28 September 1946; £200 for the older and £100 for the younger in an “80-plus and under” pair; £150 each if both were born before 28 September 1946.
People on Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA get the full £200 or £300; on a joint claim one of the couple receives it.
In a care home it is half: £100 and £150.
No claim needed
For almost everyone the payment is automatic — anyone on the State Pension or one of the benefits listed on GOV.UK. You only need to claim if you have never had the payment before or have deferred your State Pension; claims for winter 2026/27 open on 21 September 2026. A letter with the amount arrives in October or November, and the money is paid in November or December. If nothing has arrived by 27 January 2027, call 0800 731 0160.
The £35,000 threshold
The significant change of recent years: the payment is no longer unconditional. If your total income for the tax year, before any deductions, exceeds £35,000, HMRC recovers it — through your tax code or self-assessment, after the tax year ends. The threshold applies per person; a partner’s income is not added. In a couple, one may keep the money while the other repays it.
If you already know you will be over the threshold, you can decline the payment. The deadlines differ and are easy to mix up: by phone on 0800 731 0160 until 6pm on 18 September 2026, or through the Manage your State Pension service or the online opt-out form on GOV.UK until 11:59pm on 20 September 2026. You will need your National Insurance number. Opting out carries over to later years until you opt back in; to get the winter 2026/27 payment after all, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre before 31 March 2027. The point is to avoid money moving back and forth and an unexpected tax adjustment a year later.
Scotland is separate
Scotland does not pay the Winter Fuel Payment; it runs its own Pension Age Winter Heating Payment with its own rules and amounts.
What else winter brings
Separately there is the Warm Home Discount, a £150 reduction on the electricity bill, Cold Weather Payments for spells of severe cold, and local council support funds. They are assessed on different criteria, and one does not cancel another.
