Overview

• The DWP will begin paying this winter’s heating support from November, worth £200 for most under 80s and £300 for those aged 80 and over.
• A new £35,000 annual income test means around four million pensioners will have Winter Fuel Payments reclaimed later via HMRC if they are over the threshold.
• Most eligible people are paid automatically, but first‑time recipients or those who have deferred State Pension may need to claim by phone or post by March 31, 2026, with texts inviting applications flagged as scams.
• Free TV licences are available from age 75 only where the licence holder or a partner receives Pension Credit, with applications allowed at 74 and eligibility verified against DWP records.
• TV Licensing warns of spoofed emails and false claims about changes to free licences; check tvlicensing.co.uk or spp.tvlicensing.co.uk and never share bank details from unsolicited contacts, as roughly 761,000 eligible people are still not claiming Pension Credit that unlocks these concessions.