Recipients of the State Pension born before a certain date will be handed an automatic payment this winter. Most people of qualifying age who are eligible automatically receive the Winter Fuel Payment, a state benefit paid out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), providing older people with between £100 and £300 to help with heating costs.
This year, that means you can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born on or before June 27, 1960 and live in England or Wales. How much you get is based on “when you were born and your circumstances between 21 to 27 September 2026” known as the “‘qualifying week’”, the UK Government website explains. You must be living in England or Wales for the qualifying week. Amounts vary depending on “things like your age or whether you live with other people who also qualify”, financial insecurity charity Turn2Us explains.
The cash is paid out to invidual pensioners rather than households, meaning two eligible people would receive separate payments, though it will be less in total than what a pensioner living alone would receive.
Winter Fuel Payment ecipients receiving letters in October or November about how much they’ll get.
However, Pensioners who have an yearly taxable income of £35,000 or more aren’t eligible but are still given the cash, with the HMRC recovering it later through the tax system.
Those who received the payment in the winter of 2025/26 are being contacted by the tax authority about a change to their tax code to return the funds, MoneySavingExpert.com reports.
At the end of March, the outlet explained that this is “clawed back” over the course of the 2026/27 tax year through the tax code change – which is what the letter is informing the approximately 1.3 million pensioners in this situation who don’t file Self-Assessment Tax Returns about.
Payments made to people who exceed the income threshold this winter but are still given payments will return the funds in 2027.
However, you can avoid the administrative work of flagging the clawback on your tax return by opting out early, preventing the payment being made in the first place. The deadline for this year is September 20, 2026.
Ahead of the last opt-out deadline, John Havard, a consultant at tax advice firm Blick Rothenberg, cautioned pensioners that even the smallest amount over the threshold can trigger a clawback.
Small increases in income that could push you over the £35,000 mark include things like a pension payment, savings interest, or part-time earnings, he explained.
“You can formally opt out of receiving WFP on the Opt out of Winter Fuel Payment page on the gov.uk website,” Mr Havard said. “But you must live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to do so.
The only information required is your your name, address, date of birth, and National Insurance number. You can find out more about eligibility on the UK Government website.
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