The DWP has confirmed the five groups who will not get a Winter Fuel Payment this year.
Winter Fuel Payment rates and eligibility dates for 2026 to 2027 have been confirmed. (Image: Getty)
The DWP has confirmed the five groups of state pensioners who will not be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment from October, when the payment starts to be paid out to those who are able to claim it.
The Department for Work and Pensions has detailed who gets the money this year, for the period covering winter 2026 to 2027 and how much the payment will be – and the five groups of state pensioners who can’t get it, even if they earned less than the £35,000 earnings limit.
The Winter Fuel Payment has been subject to various changes in the past few years, to-ing and fro-ing from a universal payment for all, to a severely limited Pension Credit-linked benefit and back to a mostly universal payment again, with some catches, following policy changes and push-back from pensioners.
The Winter Fuel Payment programme for winter 2025-26 was completed, with final payments having been made to pensioners by the end of January. This winter, the next payment schedule will begin in October 2026.
The DWP has confirmed who will be able to get a payment and how much it will be.
It said: “If you were born before 28 June, 1960 you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2026 to 2027. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.
“You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born on or before 27 June, 1960 and live in England or Wales.”
Those who are eligible will get a letter in October or November which will detail how much you will get.
It adds: “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.”
But it added that the following 5 groups 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 21 to 27 September, 2026 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 21 to 27 September, 2026
- 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) and you lived in a care home for the whole time from 23 June 2025 or earlier.”
One other catch is that if you earn more than £35,000 in a year, including from the state pension itself, you will not be eligible to keep it and will need to hand the money back to HMRC in tax instead.
The DWP adds: “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.”