DWP Winter Fuel Payment eligibility 2026/27: who gets £100, £200 or £300

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is paying Winter Fuel Payments of £100 to £300 this winter to people born on or before 27 June 1960 who usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Most payments are made automatically in November or December, according to GOV.UK.

DWP's easy read guide says payments are made from mid-November 2026 onwards. No single payment date has been published.

You should get a letter in October or November confirming your amount. If there is no letter, or the money hasn't arrived by 27 January 2027, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160.

Eligibility is based on the qualifying week, 21 to 27 September 2026. You need to have been born on or before 27 June 1960 and to usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

You are not eligible if you:

Care home residents can qualify. You won't get the payment if you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance and have lived in a care home since 29 June 2026 or earlier.

Scotland has its own scheme, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, run by Social Security Scotland. It pays between £105.55 and £316.70, with letters being sent from November 2026. The same £35,000 income recovery applies.

The amount depends on your date of birth and who you live with.

If you live alone, or nobody you live with is eligible:

If you live with another eligible person and neither of you gets Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA:

If you and your partner jointly claim one of those benefits, one of you gets £200 if you were both born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, or £300 if one or both of you were born before 28 September 1946.

If you live in a care home, you get £100 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, or £150 if you were born before 28 September 1946.

The payment doesn't affect your other benefits.

Most people don't. GOV.UK says you don't need to claim if you get any of these:

If you get none of them, you need to claim if you've never had a Winter Fuel Payment before, or if you've deferred your State Pension since your last one.

Claims opened by post on 21 September and by phone on 19 October. The deadline is 31 March 2027. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and you'll need your National Insurance number and bank or building society details.

Post claims go to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1LR.

Everyone who qualifies receives the payment. If your own total income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back. Your partner's income doesn't count towards the threshold.

HMRC usually collects the money through your tax code. If you complete a Self Assessment return, you pay it through your tax bill instead, where it shows as the "Winter Fuel Payment charge". You can't return the money yourself.

If HMRC is already collecting your 2025 payment, your tax code changes in January 2027 to start collecting the 2026 payment too. GOV.UK gives an example of roughly £30 to £33 more tax a month where the payment was £200 in both years.

HMRC has an online tool to check whether your income is over the threshold.

The opt-out window for 2026/27 has closed. You can opt out of the 2027/28 payment from 21 December 2026, by phone or post through the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. If you've opted out and change your mind, you can opt back in, and to get this winter's payment you must contact the centre before 31 March 2027.

Messages asking for personal details such as bank details or passwords, claiming to be from a government service, could be scams. GOV.UK asks people to report anything suspicious.

GOV.UK also lists the Cold Weather Payment and the Warm Home Discount Scheme for people who qualify. Pension Credit is worth checking if your income is low.

*Source: GOV.UK Winter Fuel Payment guide, checked 12 November 2026.*