Most people receive the winter fuel payment automatically – however there are two groups who must apply and won’t receive it otherwise.

The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual, tax-free lump sum provided by the UK government to assist older people with heating costs during the colder months. It typically ranges between £100 and £300, depending on your age and living circumstances.

To be eligible, you must have reached State Pension age and be residing in England or Wales during the “qualifying week” which is normally the third week in September. A deadline has been set for June to qualify for this year’s payment, it has emerged.

How much you receive depends on two main factors:

• Your Age: If you were born between State Pension age and 79, you could get £200. If you are aged 80 or over, you could get £300.
• Living arrangements: If you live alone or with someone else who doesn’t qualify, you get the full amount. If you live with another qualifying person, the payment is typically split between you.

In a new Parliamentary question answered this week Labour’s Michael Wheeler asked Sectretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden: “For what reason the cut-off date for eligibility for receipt of winter fuel payment is in June.”

Parliamentary Secretary for the Treasury and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions Torsten Bell replied: “The Winter Fuel Payment is an age-related payment payable to everyone who has reached State Pension age on or before the end of the qualifying week and is ordinarily resident in England or Wales. The qualifying week is set out in legislation and is the third full week of September, for winter 2026/27 that is 21 to 27 September 2026.

“The State Pension age for men and women will increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028. People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months, depending on the exact date they were born.

“Therefore, a person needs to be born on or before 27 June 1960 to have reached State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week to be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026/27.”

BBC expert Colletta Smith has outlined that particular groups may be required to submit an application for the £300 winter fuel payment. Speaking on BBC Morning Live, Colletta Smith clarified that entitlement to the payment has been extended to encompass an extra 9 million state pensioners who were excluded last year, following a declaration by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Ms Smith highlighted that some individuals may need to verify their entitlement with the Department for Work and Pensions. The qualifying threshold for pensioners is those earning £35,000 or less, including those receiving some private and workplace pensions, provided they remain beneath that threshold.

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-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• 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

Claims for winter 2026 to 2027 open from 21 September 2026.

Claims for winter 2026 to 2027 open from 21 September 2026. Those who are eligible will receive the payment without needing to fill out any application forms. The BBC’s Cost of Living correspondent, Colletta Smith, previously stressed: “Those eligible are people who earn now £35,000 or less, so it’s a much higher threshold as a pensioner. So if you are getting some form of private pension, workplace pension, as long as you’re below that threshold of £35,000, you’ll still get the winter fuel payments. And crucially, it will come automatically. So like it used to. Previously you don’t have to apply for it.

“It just pops into your bank accounts come the beginning of November onwards, so you don’t have to worry about any complicated forms to fill in.”

She emphasised that certain individuals will need to ensure their details are current in order to receive the funds, explaining: “There will be a small number of people who might need to update their details. So if you have deferred your state pension, if you’ve lived abroad recently and have moved back, it’s probably worth contacting the government to make sure that you do get that payment. For everybody else, you won’t have to apply for it.”

Ms Smith noted that those earning above a certain level may opt to refuse the payment, as it would eventually be recouped. She explained: “If you earn £35,000 or above, there is a way of ticking a box to say that you don’t want to receive the payment in the first place, but otherwise, the payment will come through automatically, and then it will be clawed back through the tax system. So you will be taxed a bit more on your pensions to get that £200 taken back off you effectively.”