Who gets the DWP Winter Fuel Payment in winter 2025/26?

For winter 2025/26 the Winter Fuel Payment is paid to everyone over State Pension age in England and Wales — that means people born on or before 21 September 1959. This is a reversal of the winter 2024/25 rule, when it was limited to people receiving Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits. The payment is administered by the DWP and, for most people, arrives automatically in November or December without any need to claim.

How much is the Winter Fuel Payment?

The Winter Fuel Payment is £200 per eligible household for winter 2025/26, or £300 if at least one person in the household is aged 80 or over. It is a per-household payment, not per person, so a couple who both qualify share one payment rather than receiving one each. Where it is split between two people in the same household, each is usually treated as receiving half.

Do I have to claim the Winter Fuel Payment?

No — for most people it is paid automatically. If you receive the State Pension or another qualifying benefit, the DWP already has your details and pays it without a claim. A small number of people who are not on the DWP’s records (for example, some who have never claimed any State benefit, or who recently moved to the UK) may need to make a claim. If you reach State Pension age and a payment does not arrive by late January, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

What is the £35,000 Winter Fuel Payment clawback?

Everyone eligible receives the payment automatically, but if your individual taxable income for the relevant tax year is over £35,000, HMRC recovers the full amount. The threshold is per individual, not per household. Recovery happens through Self Assessment if you complete a tax return, or by an adjustment to your PAYE tax code in the following tax year (2026/27) if you do not. The £35,000 is a cliff edge — at £35,000 you keep it in full, at £35,001 the whole payment is clawed back.

Can I opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment?

Yes. If your income is above £35,000 and you would rather not deal with the clawback, you can tell the DWP you do not want the payment so it is not made in the first place. This avoids the tax-code adjustment or Self Assessment entry later. If you decide you want it again in a future year, you can opt back in.

Is the Winter Fuel Payment taxable?

The Winter Fuel Payment itself is a tax-free payment — you do not pay income tax on it. The £35,000 clawback is not a tax on the payment as such; it is a separate recovery charge that takes back the value of the payment from higher-income pensioners through the tax system. For people with income of £35,000 or less, the payment is simply tax-free money to help with heating costs.

When is the Winter Fuel Payment paid?

Payments are normally made in November or December, with most landing before Christmas. Eligibility is based on a qualifying week in September each year — you must be over State Pension age and (for England and Wales) ordinarily resident during that week. If you reach State Pension age after the qualifying week, you will not be eligible until the following winter.

Is the Winter Fuel Payment different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Yes. In Scotland the Winter Fuel Payment has been replaced by the devolved Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland, which has its own rules. Northern Ireland runs its own equivalent scheme. The £200/£300 amounts and the £35,000 income test described here apply to England and Wales — if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the rules for your nation.

Winter Fuel Payment 2025/26: who gets it now?

This changed recently — figures are for winter 2025/26

Winter Fuel Payment rules were cut in winter 2024/25 and then restored for winter 2025/26. The amounts (£200/£300) and the £35,000 income clawback on this page apply to winter 2025/26 in England and Wales. Always confirm the current rules on the GOV.UK Winter Fuel Payment page before relying on them, as policy in this area has shifted year to year.

What the Winter Fuel Payment is

The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual, one-off, tax-free payment from the Department for Work and Pensions to help older people with the cost of heating their home over winter. It is paid per household rather than per person, usually arrives automatically in November or December, and goes straight into the same bank account as your State Pension. It is separate from your State Pension and from Pension Credit, and receiving it does not affect any other benefits.

What makes this payment unusual is its recent history. For most of its existence it was paid to all pensioner households automatically. That changed for winter 2024/25, when it was restricted to people on Pension Credit or certain means-tested benefits — and then changed again for winter 2025/26, when it was restored to a near-universal basis with a new income clawback bolted on. The rest of this guide explains the rules as they stand now.

Who gets it now (winter 2025/26)

For winter 2025/26, the Winter Fuel Payment is paid to everyone over State Pension age in England and Wales. In practice that means anyone born on or before 21 September 1959 — the cut-off used for this winter’s qualifying week. You qualify whether or not you are on Pension Credit, and whatever your income: the income test is applied afterwards as a clawback (see below), not as a barrier to receiving it.

Quick check

Will I get the Winter Fuel Payment this winter?

1
Were you born on or before 21 September 1959?

→ If yes, you are over State Pension age for winter 2025/26 and eligible. If no, you are too young this year and will qualify in a future winter.
2
Do you live in England or Wales?

→ If yes, the rules on this page apply. Scotland has its own Pension Age Winter Heating Payment and Northern Ireland runs an equivalent scheme — see the Scotland and NI section.
3
Is your individual taxable income £35,000 or less?

→ If yes, you keep the payment in full (£200, or £300 if someone in the household is 80+). If your income is above £35,000, you still receive it automatically but HMRC recovers the full amount through your tax code or Self Assessment.
4
Would you rather not deal with the clawback?

→ If your income is over £35,000 you can opt out so the payment is not made in the first place — avoiding the tax adjustment entirely.

Most eligible people are paid automatically — no claim needed.

There is no means test on savings, no requirement to be claiming any other benefit, and no need to be a homeowner. The only conditions are your age, where you live, and being ordinarily resident in the UK during the September qualifying week. If you are also on a low income, it is well worth checking your Pension Credit entitlement separately — it can be worth thousands more a year.

How much you get: £200 or £300

The amount depends on whether anyone in your household is aged 80 or over:

£200 per household if everyone eligible is under 80.
£300 per household if at least one eligible person is aged 80 or over.

Because it is a household payment, a couple who both qualify share a single payment rather than receiving one each. Where two people in the same household are each entitled, the payment is usually treated as split between them — which matters for the clawback, because each person’s share is tested against their own income.

The £35,000 clawback explained

This is the part most people get wrong. The £35,000 income limit is not a gate that stops you receiving the payment. Everyone over State Pension age in England and Wales gets it automatically. Instead, if your individual taxable income for the tax year is over £35,000, HMRC recovers the full amount afterwards.

Key points about how the clawback works:

The £35,000 threshold is per individual, not per household. In a couple, each person’s share is judged against their own income.
It is a cliff edge: at exactly £35,000 you keep the payment in full; at £35,001 the entire payment is recovered. There is no taper.
"Taxable income" means your total income before allowances and reliefs — State Pension, private and workplace pensions, earnings, savings interest, rental income and so on.
Recovery happens through Self Assessment if you complete a tax return, or by an adjustment to your PAYE tax code in the following tax year (2026/27) if you do not. HMRC contacts affected pensioners to explain the change.

A worked example of the clawback

Scenario

Doris

Single, 71, income £20,000

Situation: Doris receives the full new State Pension plus a small workplace pension, giving her a total taxable income of around £20,000.

Income is comfortably below £35,000.
She receives the £200 Winter Fuel Payment automatically in December.
Nothing is clawed back — she keeps the full £200.

Scenario

Geoff

Single, 73, income £40,000

Situation: Geoff has a larger workplace pension on top of his State Pension, taking his total taxable income to around £40,000.

Income is over £35,000.
He still receives the £200 payment automatically — eligibility is not blocked.
But because his income exceeds the threshold, HMRC recovers the full £200, typically by adjusting his 2026/27 tax code (roughly £17 a month extra tax for a few months). He effectively keeps nothing.
If he would rather avoid the admin, Geoff can opt out so the payment is never made.

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The recent timeline: 2024 cut to 2025 restoration

Understanding the current rules is easier with the recent history in view:

Up to 2023/24: the Winter Fuel Payment was paid to all pensioner households automatically, regardless of income.
Winter 2024/25: the government restricted the payment to households receiving Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits. This was controversial and prompted a surge in Pension Credit applications, as it became the gateway to the payment.
Winter 2025/26: the restriction was reversed. The payment was restored to all pensioners over State Pension age in England and Wales, with the new £35,000 income clawback added to recover it from higher-income pensioners.

The practical lesson is that the policy has moved quickly, so it is worth checking the rules each autumn rather than assuming last year’s position still applies.

Do I need to claim?

For the large majority of people, no. If you already receive the State Pension or another DWP benefit, the department has your details and pays the Winter Fuel Payment automatically. You should receive a letter confirming the amount, and the money lands in the same account as your State Pension.

A small number of people do need to make a claim — typically those who are over State Pension age but not known to the DWP, such as someone who has never claimed any State benefit, or who recently moved to the UK. If you believe you are eligible but no payment arrives by late January, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre via GOV.UK.

Opting out

If your income is above £35,000 and you would rather not deal with the clawback — the tax-code change or the Self Assessment entry — you can ask the DWP not to pay you the Winter Fuel Payment at all. Opting out means the payment is never made, so there is nothing for HMRC to recover. You can opt back in for a future year if your circumstances change. Opting out is purely about convenience; financially, the outcome is the same as receiving it and having it clawed back.

Check Pension Credit and the Warm Home Discount too

If you are on a low income, the Winter Fuel Payment is only part of the picture. Check whether you qualify for Pension Credit, which can be worth several thousand pounds a year and unlocks further help, and the Attendance Allowance if illness or disability means you need help looking after yourself. Both are commonly missed.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The rules above apply to England and Wales. The position differs elsewhere:

Scotland: the Winter Fuel Payment has been replaced by the devolved Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland, which has its own rules and amounts.
Northern Ireland: runs its own equivalent scheme, broadly mirroring the England and Wales approach but administered separately.

If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the scheme for your nation rather than relying on the England and Wales figures here.

The Winter Fuel Payment is not the only help with winter costs. Don’t confuse it with these separate schemes, which you may be able to claim as well:

Warm Home Discount: a one-off £150 reduction on your winter electricity bill (not a cash payment), available to people on certain low-income or means-tested benefits. It is run through energy suppliers, not the DWP.
Cold Weather Payment: £25 for each seven-day spell of very cold weather in your area, paid to people on certain qualifying benefits during winter.
Pension Credit: the keystone low-income benefit that passports you to several of the above — see our full Pension Credit guide.

For a fuller picture of what older people can claim, see our benefits and entitlements hub. And if you have spare cash to put aside, our guide to the best savings accounts for over-50s can help it work harder.

Frequently asked questions

Who gets the DWP Winter Fuel Payment in winter 2025/26?: For winter 2025/26 the Winter Fuel Payment is paid to everyone over State Pension age in England and Wales — that means people born on or before 21 September 1959. This is a reversal of the winter 2024/25 rule, when it was limited to people receiving Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits. The payment is administered by the DWP and, for most people, arrives automatically in November or December without any need to claim.
How much is the Winter Fuel Payment?: The Winter Fuel Payment is £200 per eligible household for winter 2025/26, or £300 if at least one person in the household is aged 80 or over. It is a per-household payment, not per person, so a couple who both qualify share one payment rather than receiving one each. Where it is split between two people in the same household, each is usually treated as receiving half.
Do I have to claim the Winter Fuel Payment?: No — for most people it is paid automatically. If you receive the State Pension or another qualifying benefit, the DWP already has your details and pays it without a claim. A small number of people who are not on the DWP’s records (for example, some who have never claimed any State benefit, or who recently moved to the UK) may need to make a claim. If you reach State Pension age and a payment does not arrive by late January, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
What is the £35,000 Winter Fuel Payment clawback?: Everyone eligible receives the payment automatically, but if your individual taxable income for the relevant tax year is over £35,000, HMRC recovers the full amount. The threshold is per individual, not per household. Recovery happens through Self Assessment if you complete a tax return, or by an adjustment to your PAYE tax code in the following tax year (2026/27) if you do not. The £35,000 is a cliff edge — at £35,000 you keep it in full, at £35,001 the whole payment is clawed back.
Can I opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment?: Yes. If your income is above £35,000 and you would rather not deal with the clawback, you can tell the DWP you do not want the payment so it is not made in the first place. This avoids the tax-code adjustment or Self Assessment entry later. If you decide you want it again in a future year, you can opt back in.
Is the Winter Fuel Payment taxable?: The Winter Fuel Payment itself is a tax-free payment — you do not pay income tax on it. The £35,000 clawback is not a tax on the payment as such; it is a separate recovery charge that takes back the value of the payment from higher-income pensioners through the tax system. For people with income of £35,000 or less, the payment is simply tax-free money to help with heating costs.
When is the Winter Fuel Payment paid?: Payments are normally made in November or December, with most landing before Christmas. Eligibility is based on a qualifying week in September each year — you must be over State Pension age and (for England and Wales) ordinarily resident during that week. If you reach State Pension age after the qualifying week, you will not be eligible until the following winter.
Is the Winter Fuel Payment different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?: Yes. In Scotland the Winter Fuel Payment has been replaced by the devolved Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland, which has its own rules. Northern Ireland runs its own equivalent scheme. The £200/£300 amounts and the £35,000 income test described here apply to England and Wales — if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the rules for your nation.