Winter fuel payments are on their way to UK pensioners: will you get £100, £200 or £300?

Millions of pensioners across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due a winter fuel payment in the coming weeks, with the amount ranging from £100 to £300 (about €120 to €360) depending on their age and who they live with.

Most will be paid automatically, though a few groups still have to claim and anyone with an income above £35,000 will have the money taken back through the tax system.

Your age and who you live with decide the amount 

The payment is open to anyone born on or before June 27, 1960 who usually lives in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with eligibility judged on the qualifying week from Monday September 21 to Sunday September 27. Scotland has its own separate Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

How much you get depends on your age and your household. Pensioners who live alone, or with nobody else eligible, get £300 if they were born before September 28, 1946, and £200 if they were born between then and June 27, 1960. 

Couples sharing a home get less each

The figures drop where two eligible people share a home and neither claims Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Two pensioners born between September 28, 1946 and June 27, 1960 get £100 each, while a couple who were both born before September 28, 1946 get £150 each.

In a mixed couple, the older partner gets £200 and the younger one £100. Couples who jointly claim one of those benefits are treated differently, with one partner receiving £200, or £300 if either was born before September 28, 1946.

Care home residents who qualify get £100, or £150 if they were born before that date, although those who receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA and have lived in a care home since June 29 or earlier miss out.

Some pensioners have to claim, and others will pay it back

Most people get the payment automatically, including anyone already receiving the State Pension, Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Carer’s Allowance or certain other listed benefits.

Pensioners who get none of those benefits do need to claim if they’ve never had a winter fuel payment before or have deferred their State Pension since their last one. Claims can be made by post or by phone on 0800 731 0160 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm), and the deadline is Wednesday March 31, 2027.

Then there’s the income limit. Anyone with a total income above £35,000 will have the payment taken back by HM Revenue and Customs, either through their tax code or their Self Assessment tax return, and a partner’s income doesn’t count towards that figure. 

Other help is available if bills are still a struggle

The payment is only one source of support, with the Cold Weather Payment, the Warm Home Discount (worth £150, or about €180, off bills for eligible households) and local council cost-of-living schemes all worth checking.

Most payments should land in November or December

Letters confirming how much you’ll get should be arriving in October or November, and the money usually goes into the same bank account as your State Pension or other benefits. Most payments are made in November or December, and London Business News reported they could begin from mid-November, although gov.uk gives no exact start date.

Gov.uk also warns pensioners to be wary of unexpected messages asking for bank details or passwords. 

So keep an eye on your post and your bank account over the next few weeks, and if nothing has turned up by Wednesday January 27 next year, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.