Thousands of eligible pensioners will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter. Whether or not you can keep the money will depend on your taxable income
If you were born before 22 September 1959 and you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you could get up to £300 to help with the cost of heating your home this winter. This is known as the Winter Fuel Payment. If you live in Scotland you may be able to claim the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead.
Eligible individuals in England and Wales will receive a letter from HMRC in October or November telling them how much Winter Fuel Payment they will receive and which account the money will be transferred into. This will usually be the same account as your state pension or other benefits. The amount is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 15 and 21 September 2025. Other benefits will not be affected by the Winter Fuel Payment.
If you do not receive a letter and you think you should be eligible, you need to make a claim. We can help you with this.
Don’t spend it all at once
You will only be entitled to keep your Winter Fuel Payment if your total taxable income will be less than £35,000 for the tax year ending in April 2026. This includes income from pensions but not income that is not taxed, such as interest from an ISA. There is a tool to check whether your income is over the threshold on the HMRC website. Where an individual’s income exceeds the threshold, HMRC will take the Winter Fuel Payment back either by changing their tax code for the 2026-27 tax year or adding it to the self assessment tax return for 2025-26.
The clawback is all or nothing, meaning that if taxable income is even £1 over the £35,000 threshold, all of the Winter Fuel Payment will be lost. It is possible to opt out of receiving the payment but deadline to opt out for this winter was 15 September 2025.
