State pensioners who are eligible will receive a payment from the DWP automatically.
Most state pensioners will get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible (Image: Getty)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be sending out letters to state pensioners for a £300 payment in October.
The £300 is a Winter Fuel Payment to help with heating costs during the colder months and around nine million pensioners in England and Wales are due to receive it this year following a change in eligibility rules. Earlier this year Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the payment will be restored to the vast majority of pensioners who were previously denied it after a rule change last year which saw millions miss out on the vital support. The rule change restricted the payment to those claiming Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits, but a government U-turn in 2025 means as many as nine million pensioners will receive it this year. The Winter Fuel Payment is worth up to £300 but the amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances during the qualifying week between September 15 and 21, 2025.
Pensioners born before September 22, 1959, with an income of, or below, £35,000 will get between £100 and £300 from the DWP to help pay heating bills this winter.
You must have reached State Pension age – which is currently 66 for men and women – by the end of the qualifying week (September 21, 2025) to be eligible.
The Winter Fuel Payment is worth £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over the age of 80. Shared payments will be made to pensioners not on an income-related benefit such as Pension Credit.
Pensioners in England and Wales with an income above £35,000 per year will see their Winter Fuel Payment be automatically recovered by HMRC via PAYE or in their Self-Assessment tax return.
Payments will be made automatically by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) so pensioners don’t need to do anything to get it.
The DWP has confirmed it will begin sending letters to eligible pensioners in England and Wales in October and November confirming the amount they will receive. Payments will then be made in November and December.
The DWP said: “You’ll get a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get, if you’re eligible. If you do not get a letter but think you’re eligible, check if you need to make a claim.
“The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 15 to 21 September 2025. This is called the ‘qualifying week’. Any money you get will not affect your other benefits.
“You’ll get either £200 if you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959, or £300 if you were born before 22 September 1945.”
