The Department for Work and Pensions is preparing to send out letters from October and a form the DWP says some will have to sign has been made public
The DWP is preparing to dispatch letters in October on payments worth £200 or more as a key form became available online this week. Millions of people are set to benefit – though the complexities of the government’s system mean that more than a million will also be required to pay it back.
Letters relating to the Winter Fuel Payment will be sent out in October and November, with the government having updated its online guidance this week. A note on gov.uk states simply: “Added form to claim the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026 to 2027.”
That simple update could prove significant for many households this winter. The form states: “To get a Winter Fuel Payment, you must be born on or before 27 June 1960.
“If you were born after this date, you do not qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. For full eligibility details go to www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment.”
The form – viewable here – confirms it is only available to people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and notes that the majority of eligible individuals will receive the payment automatically and will not need to apply.
You will only need to complete the form if the DWP has specifically requested it, or if you do not receive any DWP benefit or pension but have reached state pension age and wish to make a claim.
The form says payment is determined by your circumstances during the qualifying week. You must have reached state pension age before or during this period, which this year runs from 21 September to 27 September inclusive.
It notes that if your personal income is more than £35,000, HMRC will reclaim your payment via the tax system.
The House of Commons library said earlier year that the Winter Fuel Payment is designed to provide older people with the reassurance that they can afford to heat their homes during the colder months. It is paid to people who have reached State Pension age on or before the end of the qualifying week (the week beginning the third Monday of September each year) and meet certain other entitlement conditions, such as not being in receipt of free treatment in hospital for more than a year.
The majority of payments are made automatically in November or December. First introduced in 1997, Winter Fuel Payment amounts have varied over the years, but in most years the amount has been £200 for households where the oldest person is under 80, and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over.
It is an annual, lump-sum payment for older people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The equivalent benefit in Scotland is Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP).
The website Statista estimates that in 2025/26, the government spent approximately £1.9 billion on the winter fuel payment.
Winter Fuel Payment and Reeves and Starmer
In 2024, Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves made a notorious and failed attempt to cut back on the generosity of the scheme. They failed and some critics argue never recovered from the attempt.
In June 2025, the government announced that from winter 2025/26 onwards all people over State Pension age would again be eligible for Winter Fuel Payment, but that individuals with incomes above £35,000 a year would have to pay it back through the tax system – the Winter Fuel Payments Charge. This means that over three quarters of pensioners will benefit. See details on the income tax charge here.
Devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Scotland have followed this policy. The Institute for Government criticised the government for first failing to lay the groundwork for means-testing support in 2024/25, then for “pretending [that expanding eligibility] is a cost-free choice because the economy is improving”.
Think tanks such as the Resolution Foundation raised concerns that a £35,000 “cliff edge” would add complexity to the tax system. The Institute for Fiscal Studies also raised practical considerations about allowing people to opt out of Winter Fuel Payment, and whether the £35,000 threshold would be increased in future to take account of inflation.
The Conservatives criticised the new approach on the grounds it would favour households with one high income member over couples both with incomes just above the threshold, and said it would lead to more people having to report their income for tax purposes through self-assessment.
How does the Winter Fuel Payment Charge work
If a person’s individual taxable income is over £35,000 for the relevant tax year, and they are not also in receipt of a means-tested benefit, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will recoup their Winter Fuel Payment (or PAWHP) via the tax system. This Winter Fuel Payments Charge applies across the UK.
The charge is applied to individuals, rather than households. This means that where only one partner in a couple has taxable income over £35,000, only that partner’s share will be recovered.
The other partner will keep their payment. The charge is applied either through a change to pay as you earn (PAYE) tax codes, or by adding the amount to self assessment tax returns.
People can check on gov.uk if their income is over the threshold and how HMRC will take it back. People can opt out of getting the Winter Fuel Payment or PAWHP if they don’t want to receive it. Once someone has opted out, they will not receive payments in future years unless they opt back in.
For more on the Winter Fuel Payment, visit the dedicated government web page.
