The Winter Fuel Payment and Warm Home Discount

The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual payment to help you with heating costs during the colder months. 

When the weather is especially cold for a sustained period, you may also be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment.

There is also a Warm Home Discount scheme – an annual payment to help with the cost of energy during the winter. It's designed to make things a bit easier for those living on a low income or pension.

You may also wish to view our information on help with the cost of living.

The Winter Fuel Payment

The information on this page covers Winter Fuel Payments for autumn/winter 2025-26.

Eligibility for a Winter Fuel Payment

To qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) you must have reached State Pension age.

WFP is an annual payment for households that include someone born on or before 21 September 1959 (for 2025-26). If you have over £35,000 of taxable (gross) income per year, the payment you receive will be recovered through the tax system later on.

To be eligible, you will also need to be living in Wales or England for the qualifying week (this is the week beginning from the third Monday in September - i.e. 15 to 21 September in 2025).

How much Winter Fuel Payment could I get?

If you or your partner are over State Pension age, you could receive £200 towards your bills. If you or your partner are over 80, you could receive £300. 

If you or your partner receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income related Employment and Support Allowance, one person will be paid the whole Winter Fuel Payment for the household.

If you and your partner do not receive one of these benefits the payment is split between you and the other qualifying people you live with.

If you are 80 years old or older, you will receive:

• £300 if you do not live with anyone else who qualifies for a payment
• £200 if you live with someone else who is under 80 years old and qualifies for a Winter Fuel Payment themselves
• £150 if you live with someone who qualifies and is also 80 or older.

If you are under the age of 80, you will receive:

• £200 if you do not live with anyone else who qualifies for a payment
• £100 if you live with someone else who qualifies for a payment.

What if I live in a care home?

You're not entitled to Winter Fuel Payment if you live in a care home from 23 June to 21 September 2025 and you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

If you live in a care home and you don’t receive one of these benefits, your Winter Fuel Payment is £100 if you are under 80, or £150 if you're aged 80 or older.

How do I claim Winter Fuel Payment?

Payments are automatic for most people. You do not need to do anything if you receive any of the following:

• State Pension
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Carer’s Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• awards from the War Pensions Scheme
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Incapacity Benefit
• Industrial Death Benefit.

If you're eligible, the Winter Fuel Payment for 2025 will be paid directly into your account between November and December 2025.

If you do not get any of the benefits in the list above, you will need to claim if either of the following apply:

• you have not received the Winter Fuel Payment before
• you have deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment.

If you have not received your Winter Fuel Payment by January 2026, you can make a claim before 31 March 2026. Contact the Winter Fuel Payment helpline on 0800 731 0160 or online at www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim.

Can I opt out of receiving the Winter Fuel Payment?

Yes, you can opt out before 15 September 2025.

Contact the Winter Fuel Payment helpline on 0800 731 0160 or online at www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim to say you do not want to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

If you change your mind later, you can still make a claim by 31 March 2026.

You might prefer to receive the payment rather than opting out, in case you need help with your bills during the colder months. If your income is over £35,000 by the end of the financial year, the payment can be recovered through the tax system.

The Warm Home Discount Scheme

The Warm Home Discount is a one-off payment of £150 to help with the cost of energy during the winter. It's designed to make things a bit easier if you're living on a low income or pension. 

Getting a Warm Home Discount doesn't affect your entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment.

The money won't be paid to you directly – it'll be added as credit to your electricity account. This usually happens between October and March (you might be able to get the discount applied to your gas bill if you're a dual-fuel customer – i.e. you have a combined plan for gas and electricity with the same supplier). If you use a prepayment meter, you'll probably be given a top-up voucher.

To qualify for the Warm Home Discount, you or your partner must have an account with a participating electricity supplier (see below) and, on a 'qualifying date', must be claiming one of the following:

• the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit; or
• another means-tested benefits, such as the Savings Credit portion of Pension Credit, Universal Credit or Housing Benefit (in previous years people getting these other benefits also had to have high energy costs, based on a government assessment of the type, age and size of their property, but the government has announced that it's withdrawing this requirement).

The qualifying date for winter 2025/26 is expected to be 25 August 2025.

Most eligible households will receive the Warm Home Discount automatically. If you're eligible, you'll usually receive a letter between November and January telling you about the discount. If you haven't received a letter by mid-January and you think you're eligible, then you can contact the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 030 9322. 

If your current supplier isn't part of the Warm Home Discount scheme

If your electricity supplier isn't part of the Warm Home Discount scheme, you could consider switching to a participating supplier. But switching may not actually save you money, depending on the deal you're offered. It's a good idea to seek impartial advice if you're thinking about switching energy suppliers. Call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Find out which suppliers participate in the Warm Home Discount Scheme on GOV.UK

General Warm Home Discount information on GOV.UK.