The Winter Fuel Allowance (or Winter Fuel Payment) can be claimed by people who were born on or before September 22, 1959, and who live in England or Wales during the qualifying week (in 2025, this is September 15 to 21). It is generally paid automatically to eligible pensioners, especially those receiving certain benefits like State Pension or Pension Credit. If you earn over £35,000 per year, the payment may be clawed back through the tax system. You do not need to claim if you are already receiving benefits such as State Pension, Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, or Disability Living Allowance, among others. However, if you do not receive these benefits, you need to claim manually if you have not received the payment before or have deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment. The allowance amount varies but is typically either £200 or £300 per household, with the higher amount paid if someone in the household is aged 80 or over. The payment is meant to help with heating bills during the winter months. Eligibility excludes those living outside England and Wales, those in hospital for the whole qualifying week, those who need special permission to enter the UK which denies public funds, and those in prison during the qualifying week. For people living in care homes, eligibility is conditional on whether they receive certain benefits and their length of stay in the care home. In summary, to claim the Winter Fuel Allowance you must:
- Be born on or before September 22, 1959
- Live in England or Wales during the qualifying week
- Usually be receiving eligible benefits or meet other criteria for claiming manually
- Not exceed the income threshold of £35,000 for full retention of the payment
Most payments are automatic, but claims can be made by post or phone if necessary, and the deadline to claim for winter 2025/26 is March 31, 2026.
