The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has officially confirmed the full list of Winter Fuel Payment rates and eligibility criteria for the 2026 winter season. The payment is available to individuals born on or before 27 June 1960 who usually reside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify, you must have been born on or before 27 June 1960 and live in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. You will not be eligible if you live outside these regions, were in hospital receiving free treatment for the entire week of 21 to 27 September 2026 and the preceding year, or were in prison for the whole of that week. Additionally, those who require permission to enter the UK and have a leave that prohibits claiming public funds are ineligible.
Payment Rates for Different Living Situations
If you live alone or with no one else eligible for the payment, you will receive £200 if born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, or £300 if born before 28 September 1946. For those living with someone else who is eligible, the amount varies based on benefit receipt and birth dates.
If You Do Not Receive Specific Benefits
If neither you nor the person you live with receives Pension Credit, Universal Credit, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the payment is: £100 if both were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960; £100 if you were born between those dates and the other person was born before 28 September 1946; £200 if you were born before 28 September 1946 and the other person was born between those dates; and £150 if both were born before 28 September 1946.
If You or Your Partner Claim Benefits
For joint claimants of these benefits, one person receives £200 if both were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, or £300 if one or both were born before 28 September 1946. For individual claimants (not joint), the payment is £200 if born between those dates, or £300 if born before 28 September 1946.
Care Home Residents
Eligible care home residents receive £100 if born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, or £150 if born before 28 September 1946.
Payments are made into the bank account where benefits are usually deposited.
