DWP confirms precise beginning date folks want for 2026 Winter Fuel Payment eligibility

Officials have said only people born before date will get the payment this year

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A vital deadline has been set for those hoping to bag up to £300 from the Department for Work and Pensions this year. A cut-off point in June has been fixed to determine eligibility for this year’s payout.

Winter Fuel Payments are tax-free yearly lump sums given by the UK government to help older individuals with their heating costs during the colder months. The government has now confirmed that to be eligible for this year’s payment, individuals must have been born on or before 28 June 1960.

Those who qualify could receive between £100 and £300 to assist with heating costs for winter 2026 to 2027.

In a parliamentary question answered on Monday, Labour’s Michael Wheeler asked Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden: “For what reason the cut-off date for eligibility for receipt of winter fuel payment is in June.”

Parliamentary Secretary for the Treasury and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions Torsten Bell replied: “The Winter Fuel Payment is an age-related payment payable to everyone who has reached State Pension age on or before the end of the qualifying week and is ordinarily resident in England or Wales. The qualifying week is set out in legislation and is the third full week of September, for winter 2026/27 that is 21 to 27 September 2026.”

“The State Pension age for men and women will increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028. People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months, depending on the exact date they were born.

“Therefore, a person needs to be born on or before 27 June 1960 to have reached State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week to be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026/27.”

If eligible, the payment is either £200 or £300, depending on your specific living situation and age:

• Aged under 80: You will get £200.
• Aged 80 or over: You will get £300.

Tackling this issue, Labour’s Rachael Maskell recently questioned: “For what reason a single pensioner’s household income could be less than that of a couple and the couple could be entitled to the Winter Fuel Allowance where the single pensioner was not.”

Mr Bell clarified that payments are worked out based on individual income: “Winter Fuel Payments are assessed and, where applicable, recovered on an individual basis rather than by reference to total household income. This reflects the structure of the personal tax system.

“Winter Fuel Payments remain a simple scheme to provide a lump sum payment to the majority of pensioners quickly and automatically, without the need to claim. The system for withdrawing the Winter Fuel Payment for those with higher incomes is simple and cost-effective to deliver.

“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 and means those on lower and middle incomes are receiving the help they need while ensuring payments are better targeted than the previous near-universal payment; and ensuring fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers.”

People can now ‘opt out’ of receiving the Winter Fuel Payment to avoid having to pay it back later. In most cases, the money will be recovered automatically through the tax system.

HMRC will adjust the person’s tax code during the 2026 to 2027 tax year. The repayment will appear as an underpayment, leading to slightly higher tax deductions being taken each month.

From 1 April 2026, households have been able to refuse the 2026 to 2027 payment by contacting the Winter Fuel Payment Centre or completing an online form. A National Insurance number will be needed to finish this process. Once someone opts out, they will stop receiving future payments unless they decide to sign up again.

The main reason for opting out is if they expect their income to stay above the threshold, as from the 2027 to 2028 tax year, HMRC plans to recover payments in advance rather than in arrears, meaning deductions could be roughly double. For a standard £200 payment, this could lead to approximately £33 monthly being withdrawn through the tax system rather than around £17. These deductions are anticipated to return to the reduced monthly amount in the following tax year.

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