The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that state pensioners who turn 66 this year but were born after 27 June 1960 will not receive the Winter Fuel Payment for the 2026/27 season. The payments, worth £200 or £300, are typically made to help with heating costs during the winter months.
Qualifying week and birthday cut-off
Pensions Minister Torsten Bell explained in a written response to Labour MP Michael Wheeler that the eligibility cut-off is tied to the qualifying week, which is set in legislation as the third full week of September. For winter 2026/27, that week runs from 21 to 27 September 2026.
To qualify, a person must have reached state pension age on or before the end of the qualifying week and be ordinarily resident in England or Wales. According to Mr Bell, this means a person needs to be born on or before 27 June 1960 to have reached state pension age by that point.
State pension age rises for 1960s births
The state pension age for men and women is increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028. People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 reach their state pension age at 66 years plus a specified number of months, depending on their exact date of birth.
Those born between July 1960 and August 1960, for example, reach state pension age at 66 years and 4 months, meaning November 2026. Those with birthdays from 6 August to 5 September reach theirs in December 2026. Similarly, people turning 66 from 6 September to 5 October, 6 October to 5 November, 6 November to 5 December, and 6 December onwards face state pension ages of 66 years and 6 months, 66 years and 7 months, 66 years and 8 months, and 66 years and 9 months, respectively. None of these groups will receive the Winter Fuel Payment for the 2026/27 season.
Payment system and targeting
Mr Bell also clarified that Winter Fuel Payments are assessed and recovered on an individual basis, not by total household income, reflecting the structure of the personal tax system. He described the scheme as simple, providing a lump sum payment to the majority of pensioners quickly and automatically without the need to claim.
The system for withdrawing the payment from those with higher incomes is also simple and cost-effective to deliver, he added. The £35,000 threshold means that more than three-quarters of pensioners will benefit from the Winter Fuel Payment. The threshold is in line with average earnings, ensuring that those on lower and middle incomes receive the help they need while payments are better targeted than the previous near-universal payment, and ensuring fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers.
