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If you were born before 22 September 1959 you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2025 to 2026. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.

Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible.Ìý

If your income is over £35,000, HMRC will take back your Winter Fuel Payment through the tax system.Ìý

You can opt out of getting the Winter Fuel Payment if you do not want to receive it.

If you’re eligible, you’ll get a letter in October or November saying how much you’ll get.

Most eligible people will be paid in November or December 2025.

If you live in Northern Ireland

You might be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment from the Northern Irish Government. Eligibility rules will be the same as for England and Wales. This will be paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

If you live in Scotland

You cannot get a Winter Fuel Payment. You might be eligible for .

Other help with heating bills

You could also get:

• a Cold Weather Payment - if you get certain benefits and the temperature drops to zero degrees celsius or below for 7 days in a row
• the Warm Home Discount - this is a £150 discount on your bills if you get Pension Credit or live in a low-income household
• help from the Household Support Fund, if you’re eligible under your local council’s rules

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born before 22 September 1959 and live in England or Wales.

When you will not be eligible

You will not be eligible if you:

• live outside England and Wales
• were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025 and the year before that
• need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public funds
• were in prison for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025

If you live in a care home

You can get Winter Fuel Payment if you live in a care home. You will not be eligible if both of the following apply:

• you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• you lived in a care home for the whole time from 23 June 2025 or earlier

You’ll get a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get, if you’re eligible.

If you do not get a letter but think you’re eligible, check if you need to make a claim.

The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 15 to 21 September 2025. This is called the ‘qualifying week’.

Any money you get will not affect your other benefits.

If you live alone or no one you live with is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment

You’ll get either:

• £200 if you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959
• £300 if you were born before 22 September 1945

If you live with someone else who’s eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment

Your payment may be different if you get one of the following benefits:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support

If you do not get any of the benefits

You’ll get a payment of:

• £100 if you and the person you live with were both born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959
• £100 if you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959 but the person you live with was born before 22 September 1945
• £200 if you were born before 22 September 1945 but the person you live with was born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959
• £150 if you and the person you live with were born before 22 September 1945

If you and your partner jointly claim any of the benefits

One of you will get a payment of either:

• £200 if both of you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959
• £300 if one or both of you were born before 22 September 1945

If you get any of the benefits (not as part of a joint claim)

You’ll get a payment of either:

• £200 if you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959
• £300 if you were born before 22 September 1945

If your income is more than £35,000

HMRC will take back all of your Winter Fuel Payment through either PAYE or your Self Assessment tax return.

If you live in a care home

If you’re eligible you’ll get either:

• £100 if you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959
• £150 if you were born before 22 September 1945

Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible.

You do not need to claim if you get any of the following:

• State Pension
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Carer’s Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• awards from the War Pensions Scheme
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Incapacity Benefit
• Industrial Death Benefit

If you do not get any of these, you need to claim if either of the following apply:

• you’ve not got the Winter Fuel Payment before
• you’ve deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment

How to claim

You can claim Winter Fuel Payment by:

• post - from 15 September 2025
• phone - from 13 October 2025

Claim by post

Fill in a Winter Fuel Payment claim form and send it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

Claim by phone

Call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre to claim by phone.

What to prepare before you call

Before you call, you will need to know:

• your National Insurance number
• your bank or building society details
• the date you were married or entered into a civil partnership (if appropriate)

You’ll also need to say whether during the qualifying week of 15 to 21 September 2025 you were:

• in hospital getting free in-patient treatment
• in a residential care home or Ilford Park Resettlement Home
• in prison

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.

Most payments are made automatically in November or December.

You should get a letter telling you:

• how much you’ll get
• which bank account it will be paid into - this is usually the same account as your State Pension or other benefits

If you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by 28 January 2026, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

Contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre if you’re eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment and you:

• need to report a change of circumstances
• need to change your address or personal details

Report any change of circumstances as soon as possible - for example, if you move house or move into a care home. These can affect how much Winter Fuel Payment you get.

If you want to opt out of getting the Winter Fuel Payment

You can choose to opt out of getting all future Winter Fuel Payments. To opt out you need to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre before 15 September 2025.

You can opt in again by contacting the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. To get a payment for winter 2025 to 2026 you need to contact them before 31 March 2026.

Contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre

When you contact the payment centre, you’ll need to tell them your personal details like:

• your name
• your address
• your date of birth
• your National Insurance number

You can either call the helpline or send a letter by post.

To opt out of getting Winter Fuel payments you can or call the helpline.

If you’re paid too much

You may have to repay the money if you:

• do not report a change straight away
• gave wrong information
• are overpaid by mistake

Find out how to repay the money you owe from benefit overpayment.