𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A crucial deadline has been established to determine whether people will receive a payment of up to £300 this year from the Department for Work and Pensions. It has emerged that a cut-off date of June has been set in order to qualify for this year’s payment.

Winter Fuel Payments are tax-free, annual lump-sum payments provided by the UK government to assist older people with their heating bills throughout the colder months. The government has now confirmed that to receive this year’s payment, individuals must have been born before June 28 1960.

Those who qualify could receive between £100 and £300 to help cover heating bills for winter 2026 to 2027. In a newly answered question yesterday, Labour’s Michael Wheeler asked Secretary 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.”

Should you qualify, the payment stands at either £200 or £300, determined by your personal circumstances and age:

Where a person’s total income exceeds £35,000, HMRC will reclaim the Winter Fuel Payment. A partner’s income is not factored into this threshold. On this matter, Labour’s Rachael Maskell recently raised the question: “For what reason a single pensioner’s household income could be less than that of a couple and the couple could be entitled to the Winter Fuel Allowance where the single pensioner was not.”

Mr Bell clarified that payments were assessed on an individual income basis: “Winter Fuel Payments are assessed and, where applicable, recovered on an individual basis rather than by reference to total household income. This reflects the structure of the personal tax system.

“Winter Fuel Payments remain a simple scheme to provide a lump sum payment to the majority of pensioners quickly and automatically, without the need to claim. The system for withdrawing the Winter Fuel Payment for those with higher incomes is simple and cost-effective to deliver.

“The £35,000 threshold means that more than three quarters of pensioners will benefit from the Winter Fuel Payment. The threshold is in line with average earnings and means those on lower and middle incomes are receiving the help they need whilst ensuring payments are better targeted than the previous near-universal payment; and ensuring fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers.”

Pensioners can now choose to ‘opt out’ of the Winter Fuel Payment to avoid having to repay it at a later date. In the majority of cases, any overpayment will be recouped automatically through the tax system.

HMRC will adjust the individual’s tax code during the 2026 to 2027 tax year. The repayment will appear as an underpayment, meaning slightly higher tax deductions will be taken each month.

From 1 April 2026, households have been able to opt out of the 2026 to 2027 payment by getting in touch with the Winter Fuel Payment Centre or by filling in an online form. A National Insurance number will be required to complete the process. Once a claimant opts out, they will no longer receive future payments unless they choose to opt back in. The primary reason for opting out is if they anticipate their income remaining above the threshold, as from the 2027 to 2028 tax year, HMRC intends to recoup payments in advance rather than in arrears, meaning deductions could be approximately double.

For a typical £200 payment, this could result in around £33 a month being withdrawn through the tax system, compared to roughly £17 previously. Deductions are expected to revert to the lower monthly figure in the following tax year.

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