Overview
- About 2.7 million more households are being brought into the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, with letters now being issued and most rebates applied automatically to bills.
- Eligibility for the £150 discount is tied to specific means‑tested benefits such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit (including Savings Credit), Housing Benefit, income‑related ESA, income‑based JSA and Income Support, with Child and Working Tax Credits no longer qualifying.
- Winter Fuel Payments of £200 or £300 will be paid automatically from November 1 to around nine million people born before September 22, 1959, with deposits arriving through November and December.
- Pensioners with annual taxable incomes over £35,000 will still receive the winter payment but HMRC will recover it next year by adjusting tax codes for 2026–27 or via Self Assessment, and guidance says it cannot be repaid sooner (a £200 payment equates to about £17 a month).
- DWP has set out five exclusion categories for the winter payment, urges people to ignore scam texts because payments are automatic, and Scotland is running separate support with a £59.75 Winter Heating Payment and a qualifying week of November 3–9.