The Government has announced that the Winter Fuel Payment will be restored to all people over state pension age with an income of £35,000 per year or less for the winter of 2025/26.  

The payments will be made automatically to households with at least one member over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week. For the winter of 2025/26, this is 15-21 September 2025 and means that people born on or before 21 September 1959 will qualify providing their income is £35,000 per year or less. 

The £35,000 threshold applies to you as an individual and does not include your partner’s income. The payment you receive will be recovered by HMRC via PAYE or Self-Assessment if your taxable income is over £35,000. 

Payments will be £200 per household or £300 for households where at least one person is aged 80 or over.  Payments will be made to the main claimant who is receiving a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit.

Where there is no means-tested benefit in payment, a shared payment will be made to couples. For example, where both partners in a couple are over 80, they will receive £150 each. 

DWP will develop a system to allow people to opt out from receiving the Winter Fuel Payment removing the need for HMRC to recover the payment. 

Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK said: “The Government's Winter Fuel Payment announcement makes this a good day for older people.

"The decision to restore the Winter Fuel Payment to 9 million pensioners - all but those on the highest incomes who should be able to pay their heating bills without it - is the right thing to do and something that will bring some much-needed reassurance for older people and their families. At Age UK we heard from many through the winter who were so frightened about their bills that they didn't even try to keep their homes adequately warm."

"We would like to express our gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of people who signed petitions, wrote to their MPs and took other action to encourage the Government to change course. You spoke, they listened."