Overview

• Payments of £100–£300 will be made automatically in England and Wales, with most households of State Pension age receiving £200 or £300 where someone is 80 or over.
• Eligibility requires being born before 22 September 1959 and meeting residency rules for the 15–21 September qualifying week, with exclusions for certain hospital, prison and long‑term care situations.
• Pensioners with total taxable income over £35,000 will have the full amount recovered by HMRC through PAYE or Self Assessment unless they opt out by calling before 6pm on 12 September or submitting the online form by 14 September.
• DWP guidance warns of scam texts and confirms letters will set out amounts and bank details, with further HMRC operational detail due at Budget 2025 alongside draft Finance Bill provisions.
• Pension Credit applications rose 44% year on year to 320,300 with 181,100 approvals, yet experts say roughly 700,000 eligible households still do not claim support that can be worth over £4,000 annually; Scotland delivers a separate Pension Age Winter Heating Payment via Social Security Scotland.