Overview
- Winter Fuel Payments of £100 to £300 are being paid automatically to about nine million pensioners through November and December, with most due by mid-December and no need to chase until January 28, 2026.
- Cold Weather Payments across England, Wales and Northern Ireland run from November 1 to March 31 and pay £25 for each seven-day spell at or below 0°C, with forecast freezes this week likely to trigger postcode-based payouts within 14 days.
- Eligibility for Cold Weather Payments depends on receiving certain benefits such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Support for Mortgage Interest, and payments are automatic.
- Scotland does not use Cold Weather Payments; Winter Heating Payment (£59.75) and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (£101.70–£305.10) are being issued, mostly automatically, with some people needing to apply by March 31, 2026.
- The DWP and Social Security Scotland report rising scam messages telling people to ‘update details’; genuine services will not ask for bank information, and suspicious texts should be forwarded to 7726 with fake emails reported to the National Cyber Security Centre, while some outlets also report a £35,000 income cap for Winter Fuel Payment eligibility this year.