Winter Fuel Payment - Can I get a Winter Fuel Payment?

You will be eligible if:

• You were born before 23 September 1958 for winter 2024 to 2025 (the date changes every year),

and you get one of the following benefits:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Universal Credit

and

And you received one of these benefits during the ‘qualifying week’, which is between 16 September and 22 September 2024.

and

• You live in the UK. In some circumstances, you might be eligible if you live abroad (see below).

Scotland

In Scotland, the Winter Fuel Payment will be replaced by a new benefit called Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. It will have the same eligibility criteria as the Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales and will launch in autumn 2025.

From winter 2025/26, all pensioners in Scotland will receive a payment through the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. Those in receipt of certain benefits will receive a higher amount of £200 or £300. Those not receiving a benefit will get a payment of £100 instead.

There are other fuel payments available in Scotland such as the Winter Heating Payment. For more information, visit the MYGOV.SCOT website.

Northern Ireland

Pensioners in Northern Ireland who no longer qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment because of new rules may still get help with fuel costs. A one-off £100 fuel support payment will be made to people above State Pension age who now don’t qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment. These fuel support payments are expected to be made by the end of March 2025.

If you live abroad

If you live in another European Economic Area country or Switzerland, you may still be eligible if you have a genuine link with the UK (excluding Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain).

A 'genuine and sufficient' link to the UK could include having lived or worked in the UK, or have family in the UK.

You must also have moved to an eligable country before 1 January 2021.

If you meet the qualifying age but you live in a care home, you get a reduced payment. You will not be eligible if both of the following apply:

• you get Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), or Income Support
• you lived in a care home for the whole time from 24 June to September 2024. 

Mixed-age couples

If you are in a mixed-age couple, you will be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if you get one of the benefits listed above. You must also be entitled to the benefit during the ‘qualifying week’, which runs from 16 September to 22 September 2024.