Pensioners warned over looming Winter Fuel Payment deadline

The Winter Fuel Payment, or Pension Age Winter Heating Payment as it’s known in Scotland, provides up to £300 to help older people cover heating bills. While most eligible pensioners receive the payment automatically, some must submit a claim before the cut-off date of March 31, 2026.

With the deadline looming, pensioners and their families are being urged to check eligibility, confirm payment details, and ensure no support is left unclaimed.

How to claim a missing Winter Fuel Payment

You can claim Winter Fuel Payment by post – just fil in a Winter Fuel Payment claim form and send it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

Winter Fuel Payment Centre
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1LR

Or you can call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre to claim by phone.
Telephone: 0800 731 0160

Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Before you call, you will need to know:

• your National Insurance number
• your bank or building society details
• the date you were married or entered into a civil partnership (if appropriate)

For pensioners with a taxable income of more than £35,000, the Government said the payment will be taken back through the tax system during in the 2026/27 financial year.

What other help is available for pensioners this winter?

Amid rising living costs, it’s worth accessing every form of support available.

There’s a full guide to the help available here.

Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount has been expanded this winter, meaning 6 million households will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter.

Around 2.7 million extra households should have received £150 off their energy bills, bringing up the number to 6 million in total – including 900,000 families with children and a total of 1.8 million households in fuel poverty.

Who is eligible for the Warm Home Discount?

Those on means-tested DWP benefits, including:

• Housing Benefit 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) 
• Income Support 
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit) 
• Universal Credit

For the vast majority of recipients, £150 will be automatically deducted from their energy bill.

DWP Cold Weather Payment

This £25 a week grant aims to help people with their heating bills when temperatures drop to zero. It is paid out by the Department for Work and Pensions to eligible households whenever the average temperature in the area drops to freezing or below for seven consecutive days.

It’s organised by postcodes, and payments are triggered if zero temperatures are either forecast or recorded between November 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

It only runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there’s a one-off Winter Heating Payment of nearly £60.

£150 off energy bills in 2026

In the autumn budget, Rachel Reeves announced all households would get £150 off their energy bills in 2026. Confusingly, this is separate from the Warm Home Discount, and eligible bill-payers will get both.

Occupational discounts

Dave Crawley, Finance Director at Discounts for Teachers and Health Service Discounts, said many former public sector workers are unaware they remain entitled to substantial savings even after retirement.

“Amid ongoing conversations about the rising cost of living and the support available to pensioners through DWP benefits, it’s important to highlight the additional help that retired NHS and education professionals can access,” he says.

“Many people don’t realise that even after leaving the workforce, they remain eligible for thousands of exclusive discounts through Health Service Discounts and Discounts for Teachers.

Our platforms are completely free to use and offer real, meaningful savings on everyday essentials, travel, leisure, and more, helping former healthcare and education staff stretch their pensions further at a time when every pound matters.”