You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026 to 2027 if you were born on or before 27 June 1960 and usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. The payment is between £100 and £300, and most people are paid automatically in November or December 2026. If your own total income is over £35,000, you still receive the payment, but HMRC takes it back through the tax system.
Who Qualifies This Winter?
The rules are simpler than many people think. You need to meet two main conditions:
- You were born on or before 27 June 1960.
- You usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
What counts is where you live during the “qualifying week”, which this year runs from 21 to 27 September 2026. You do not need to claim Pension Credit or any other benefit to qualify. Since the June 2025 U-turn, the old benefits-based test no longer applies.
Who Misses Out?
GOV.UK lists a few situations where you are not eligible:
- You usually live outside England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
- You were only visiting during the qualifying week.
- You were in hospital receiving free treatment for the whole qualifying week and the year before.
- Your visa says you cannot claim public funds.
- You were in prison for the whole qualifying week.
Care home residents can qualify, with one exception. You are excluded if you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance and have lived in the care home for the whole time since 29 June 2026 or earlier.
How Much You Will Get?
The amount depends on your birth date and who you live with during the qualifying week.
If you live alone, or nobody you live with is eligible:
- £200 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960
- £300 if you were born before 28 September 1946
If you live with another eligible person and neither of you gets Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related ESA:
- £100 each if you were both born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960
- £100 if you were born in that period but your housemate was born before 28 September 1946
- £200 if you were born before 28 September 1946 and your housemate was born in the later period
- £150 each if you were both born before 28 September 1946
If you get one of those benefits, and it is not a joint claim: £200 or £300, depending on your birth date.
If you and your partner jointly claim one of those benefits: one of you receives £200 (both born in the later period) or £300 (one or both born before 28 September 1946).
In a care home: £100 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, or £150 if you were born earlier.
The payment does not affect your other benefits.
The £35,000 Rule
This is mtnuz gnuyir qxk rospbd out. The £35,000 figure is not an eligibility cut-off. If your total income for the tax year is over £35,000, you still get the payment first, then HMRC recovers it. They do this in one of two ways:
- changing your tax code, so more tax comes out of your wages, salary or pension
- adding the amount to your Self Assessment tax return, where it appears as the “Winter Fuel Payment charge”
Three details matter here:
- It is your income only. Your partner’s earnings don’t count toward your total. GOV.UK’s own example is a person on £36,000 who has the payment taken back while a partner on £22,000 keeps theirs.
- There is no tapering. HMRC takes back the full amount, so earning slightly over the line costs you the whole payment.
- You may see a bigger tax code change. If HMRC is already collecting your 2025 payment, your tax code will change in January 2027 to start collecting the 2026 payment too. On a £200 payment in both years, that means roughly £30 to £33 more tax each month. If you do not opt out, the code changes again in April 2027 to carry on collecting the 2026 payment and begin collecting the 2027 one in advance.
You can check your position using HMRC’s online tool on GOV.UK. You will need the total income you expect in the tax year before any deductions.
Do You Need to Claim?
Most people do not. If you already get any of the following, the payment arrives automatically:
- State Pension
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- income-related ESA
- War Pensions Scheme awards
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Industrial Death Benefit
If you get none of these, you need to claim if you have never received the payment before or you have deferred your State Pension since your last one. You can claim by post (from 21 September 2026) or by phone (from 19 October 2026). The deadline for winter 2026 to 2027 is 31 March 2027.
The Winter Fuel Payment Centre number is 0800 731 0160, open Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. Have your National Insurance number and bank details ready.
When the Money Arrives?
If you are eligible, you should get a letter in October or November explaining how much you will receive and which bank account it is going into. Most payments land in November or December. If nothing has arrived by 27 January 2027, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.
Opting out
The opt-out window for 2026 to 2027 is now closed. If you wanted to avoid receiving the payment, it is too late for this winter, and if your income is over £35,000, HMRC will still take it back. Opting out for winter 2027 to 2028 opens on 21 December 2026. If you opted out earlier and have changed your mind, you can opt back in by contacting the payment centre before 31 March 2027 to be paid for this winter.
Scotland is different
Scotland does not use the Winter Fuel Payment. People there may get the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, run by Social Security Scotland. For winter 2026 to 2027, it is worth between £105.55 and £316.70, depending on age and household circumstances. The Scottish Government expects about 879,000 pensioners to benefit. Pensioners with taxable income over £35,000 face the same HMRC take-back.
What About Winter 2027 to 2028?
Here, it is worth being careful, because a lot of online articles state things as fact that are not confirmed yet. At the time of writing, GOV.UK has not published the qualifying birth date, payment amounts, or exact dates for winter 2027 to 2028. What is confirmed is the following:
- The £35,000 income charge is written into law through the Finance Act 2026, so it is not a one-year experiment.
- The opt-out window for 2027 to 2028 opens on 21 December 2026.
- HMRC’s tax code plans already include collecting 2027 payments in advance from April 2027.
The qualifying week normally falls in the third full week of September, which points to late September 2027, but check GOV.UK before relying on that. The qualifying birth date shifts each year in line with State Pension age, so expect it to move later again.
Final Word
For winter 2026 to 2027, the rules are clear: born on or before 27 June 1960, living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland in the qualifying week, and a payment of £100 to £300 that arrives automatically for most people. The only real catch is the £35,000 income charge, which HMRC applies afterwards. For 2027 to 2028, watch GOV.UK in the coming months for the confirmed birth date and amounts, and note the 21 December 2026 opt-out date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Winter Fuel Payment still means-tested?
Not at the point of payment. Almost everyone eligible receives it. The £35,000 test happens afterwards, through HMRC.
Do I get it if my income is exactly £35,000?
Yes. HMRC recovers the payment when your income is over £35,000, not when it equals that figure.
Does my partner’s income count?
No. Only your own total income is assessed.
Is the payment taxable?
The payment itself is tax-free and does not reduce other benefits. The £35,000 recovery is a separate charge that takes the money back if your income is above the threshold.
What if I think I should have been paid but wasn’t?
Contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160. You can also ask for a mandatory reconsideration if you disagree with a decision.
Is that call or text really from the government?
Be cautious. GOV.UK warns that scammers pretend to be government services. Never share bank details or passwords through an unexpected message, and report anything suspicious through GOV.UK.
Sources:
- Winter Fuel Payment (GOV.UK)
- Winter Fuel Payment: Eligibility (GOV.UK)
- Winter Fuel Payment: How much you’ll get (GOV.UK)
- Winter Fuel Payment: Check if you need to claim (GOV.UK)
- Winter Fuel Payment: If your income is over £35,000 (GOV.UK)
- Opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment (GOV.UK)
