The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is reducing some claimants' Winter Fuel Payment to just £100, affecting those born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960 who live with another person eligible for the payment.
Eligible recipients will receive correspondence in October or November detailing their Winter Fuel Payment entitlement. The sum you receive depends on your date of birth and your circumstances during 21 to 27 September 2026, a period known as the 'qualifying week'.
Who Gets the Reduced £100 Payment?
Not all claimants will receive the £300 payment designated for state pensioners aged over 80, or the £200 sum for those above state pension age but born after 1946, according to DWP rules.
If you share accommodation with another person eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, your payment could vary if you receive any of the following benefits: Pension Credit, Universal Credit, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
DWP Rules on Shared Accommodation
The DWP rules state: If you do not get any of the benefits, you will get a payment of £100 if you and the person you live with were both born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960.
You will also get a payment of £100 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, but the person you live with was born before 28 September 1946. If you live in a care home, too, if you're eligible, you'll get £100 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960.
How Payments Are Made
Payment will be made to the bank account where your benefits are typically deposited. The majority of eligible individuals receive the Winter Fuel Payment automatically.
You do not need to claim if you receive any of the following DWP benefits: State Pension, Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Carer's Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), awards from the War Pensions Scheme, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Incapacity Benefit, or Industrial Death Benefit.
