Overview
- The Department for Work and Pensions clarified on Sunday that households where both people were born before 28 September 1946 and eligible care‑home residents born before that date will receive a £150 Winter Fuel Payment if they do not get qualifying benefits.
- Most eligible pensioners continue to receive Winter Fuel Payments that vary roughly from £100 to £300 depending on age and circumstances with payments usually made automatically in November or December.
- Recipients of qualifying benefits such as State Pension, Pension Credit or Universal Credit normally do not need to apply because the DWP pays the Winter Fuel Payment automatically using existing benefit records.
- Other winter support is unchanged: the Warm Home Discount reopens in October as a one‑off £150 bill credit for means‑tested customers and Cold Weather Payments pay £25 for each seven‑day period of sustained sub‑zero temperatures between November 1 and March 31.
- Scotland runs a separate Pension Age Winter Heating Payment and does not get Cold Weather Payments, and the DWP will send letters from October with a phone claim line opening on 19 October for those who must apply.