Winter Fuel Payment 2026: Dates, Amounts by Birth Date and the £35,000 Income Threshold

The Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026 to 2027 is between £100 and £300 for people born on or before 27 June 1960, according to GOV.UK, and most eligible people will be paid in November or December 2026. If your total income is over £35,000, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will take the payment back. GOV.UK has not published exact payment dates, so none are given here. This story adds the amount for every birth date and household in one table, and a one-page printable of the dates.

How much is the Winter Fuel Payment in 2026?

The amount depends on your birth date and your circumstances during the qualifying week, Monday, 21 September to Sunday, 27 September 2026, per GOV.UK. A letter with the amount arrives in October or November. The payment does not affect other benefits.

Anyone born on 28 September 1946 turns 80 during the qualifying week, so the dividing line below is a birth date, not an age.

Your situation	Born 28 Sept. 1946 to 27 June 1960	Born before 28 Sept. 1946
You live alone, or no one you live with is eligible	£200	£300
You get Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), not as a joint claim	£200	£300
You and your partner make a joint claim for one of those benefits	£200 to one of you	£300 to one of you (one or both born before 28 Sept. 1946)

If you live with someone who is eligible and neither of you gets one of those benefits, the amount depends on both birth dates:

Your birth date	Other person’s birth date	You get
28 Sept. 1946 to 27 June 1960	28 Sept. 1946 to 27 June 1960	£100
28 Sept. 1946 to 27 June 1960	Before 28 Sept. 1946	£100
Before 28 Sept. 1946	28 Sept. 1946 to 27 June 1960	£200
Before 28 Sept. 1946	Before 28 Sept. 1946	£150

Source: GOV.UK, “Winter Fuel Payment: How much you’ll get”, fetched 26 Oct. 2026.

When will the Winter Fuel Payment be paid?

GOV.UK says most eligible people will be paid in November or December 2026. It does not publish a payment date, so do not rely on a specific day from any other site. The dates that are published are below.

Date	What happens	Source
Mon., 21 to Sun., 27 Sept. 2026	Qualifying week	GOV.UK
Mon., 19 Oct. 2026	Claims by phone open	GOV.UK
Oct. and Nov. 2026	Letter with the amount	GOV.UK
Nov. and Dec. 2026	Most eligible people are paid	GOV.UK
Mon., 21 Dec. 2026	Opting out for 2027 to 2028 becomes possible	GOV.UK
Jan. 2027	Tax code changes to start collecting the 2026 payment	GOV.UK
Wed., 31 March 2027	Claim deadline for winter 2026 to 2027	GOV.UK

Our December 2026 printable calendar has room to mark the payment window, and the 2026 UK holiday list shows the bank holidays that fall in it. The Christmas bank holidays story covers the substitute Boxing Day on Monday, 28 December.

Who is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment?

You must have been born on or before 27 June 1960 and usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, per GOV.UK’s eligibility page. nidirect, the Northern Ireland government site, says the same rules apply there and that the payment is made automatically.

What does the £35,000 income threshold mean?

If your total income is over £35,000, HMRC will take your Winter Fuel Payment back, according to GOV.UK. A partner’s income does not count towards that figure.

GOV.UK’s guidance on paying back says HMRC usually collects through your tax code. People who file a Self Assessment return pay through the tax bill instead. The guidance adds that “your tax code will change in January 2027 to start collecting your 2026 payment.”

Can I opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment?

Not for this winter. GOV.UK says: “You can no longer opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment for 2026 to 2027.” Opting out for 2027 to 2028 is possible from 21 December 2026. GOV.UK does not give a time of day for that date on the page we used.

How and when do I claim?

GOV.UK says the deadline to claim for winter 2026 to 2027 is Wednesday, 31 March 2027, and that claims by phone opened on 19 October 2026. The page we used does not list other claim steps, so check GOV.UK’s “How to claim” page before you call.

What about Scotland?

The Winter Fuel Payment does not apply in Scotland. The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) replaces it there, and mygov.scot gives an amount of between £105.55 and £316.70. It says letters are being sent from November 2026, and that the £35,000 income limit applies to individual income. We did not find payment dates for it, so none are listed.

Printable

The key-dates timeline, from the qualifying week to the 31 March 2027 claim deadline, is in the downloads below. For next year’s days off, see our UK bank holidays 2027 list, and for the other UK money date this week, the UK Budget 2026 story. The 2026 printable yearly calendar shows the whole winter on one page.