Eligible pensioners are being given help with energy bills this winter.
Eligible pensioners can get up to £300 from the DWP to help pay heating bills this winter (Image: Getty Images)
State pensioners across the UK are urged to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in January for a £300 boost. The money is a Winter Fuel Payment that is awarded to pensioners in England and Wales who were born before September 22, 1959, to help pay heating bills this winter. Around nine million pensioners are eligible to receive the free support in the 2025/26 tax year, and most should have been paid automatically in November or December 2025.
But those who qualify for the payment and have yet to receive it are urged to contact the DWP later this month. Eligible pensioners should have already received a letter from the DWP confirming how much money they will get and which bank account the money will be paid into, which is usually the same account as your State Pension or other benefits.
But anyone who hasn’t received a letter, or the money hasn’t been paid into your bank account by January 28, 2026, should contact the DWP’s Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160. You’ll need to provide your name, address, date of birth and your National Insurance number.
The DWP said: “Most payments are made automatically in November or December. You should get a letter telling you:
- how much you’ll get
- which bank account it will be paid into – this is usually the same account as your State Pension or other benefits
“If you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by 28 January 2026, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.”
The Winter Fuel Payment amount you’ll get depends on when you were born and your circumstances during the qualifying week between September 15 and 21, 2025.
You’ll get either £200 if you were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959, or £300 if you were born before September 22, 1945.
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.
Most pensioners should get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible and if you get any of the following benefits you don’t need to claim it:
- 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 don’t get any of these then you will need to submit a claim for the payment if either of the following apply:
- you’ve not got the Winter Fuel Payment before
- you’ve deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment
The deadline for pensioners to make a claim for the winter 2025 to 2026 payment is March 31, 2026.
