Eligible state pensioners will get payments from the DWP automatically.
Most state pensioners will get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible (Image: Getty)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be sending out letters to state pensioners for automatic payments of up to £300 from October.
The £300 is a Winter Fuel Payment to help with heating costs during the colder months, with most people set to receive this automatically if they’re eligible. The DWP has confirmed that pensioners in England, Wales or Northern Irealnd who were born on or before June 27, 1960, could get between £100 and £300 to help pay heating bills this winter. If you live in Scotland, you will get a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead. Winter Fuel Payment amounts are determined by your age and circumstances during the qualifying week, which this year is between September 21 to 27, 2026.
Pensioners born between September 28, 1946, and June 27, 1960, who live alone are due to get a £200 payment, while those born before September 28, 1946, will get £300.
If you get Pension Credit, Universal Credit or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) then your payment amount may be different.
Letters will be sent out to eliigble pensioner households from October confirming payment amounts, with the money then due to be paid into accounts automatically in November and December.
Pensioners with a total individual annual income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment automatically taken back by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), either by a change in tax code or by adding the amount to Self Assessment tax returns.
The DWP said: “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 21 to 27 September 2026. This is called the ‘qualifying week’. Any money you get will not affect your other benefits.
“If your income is over £35,000 HMRC will take your Winter Fuel Payment back by either:
- changing your tax code
- adding the amount to your Self Assessment tax return
“You can check if your total income is over the threshold and how HMRC will take it back.”
For pensioners who exceed the £35,000 income threshold, the DWP has set two deadlines to opt out of receiving a Winter Fuel Payment this year.
The earlier deadline is 6pm on Friday, September 18, 2026, if you opt out via phone and there is a slightly later deadline of 11.50pm on Sunday, September 20, 2026, if you opt out online.
Confirming the September deadline, the DWP said: “You can choose to opt out of receiving the Winter Fuel Payment. If you do not opt out and your total income is over £35,000, you will receive the Winter Fuel Payment but HMRC will take it back. You cannot return it yourself.”