Overview

• Eligible households could receive up to £1,085 across the Warm Home Discount (£150), Winter Fuel Payment (£200 or £300), Cold Weather Payments, the £10 Christmas Bonus and locally set Household Support Fund help.
• DWP named five groups who will not get the Winter Fuel Payment this winter, including those earning over £35,000, people in prison or in hospital for the qualifying week, certain immigration cases and those living outside England and Wales.
• Most pensioners who qualify will be paid automatically, with letters detailing Winter Fuel Payment entitlement expected in October or November and most credits arriving in November and December.
• Cold Weather Payments of £25 for each seven-day period at or below 0°C will be made automatically between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026 to people on qualifying benefits.
• Household Support Fund awards vary by council and can reach several hundred pounds, which explains why some reports cite a lower combined figure such as £985.