Overview

• The DWP has published the Winter Fuel Payment claim form for those who must apply, with phone claims accepted from 13 October, and eligibility set by circumstances in the 15–21 September qualifying week.
• About nine million people born on or before 22 September 1959 in England and Wales will receive £200 or £300 automatically, subject to the £35,000 taxable income limit.
• Pensioners above the threshold will have payments recovered by HMRC via 2026–27 tax‑code changes or their 2025–26 Self Assessment, with an option to opt out of receiving the cash.
• Warm Home Discount letters will start from 20 October as eligibility widens to everyone on Universal Credit and certain other benefits, lifting expected recipients to roughly 6.1 million households.
• Suppliers including British Gas will apply the £150 Warm Home Discount between November and March—mostly by January—credited to electricity accounts or issued as vouchers for prepayment meters, and a three‑month care‑home rule can halve or cancel some Winter Fuel Payments.