PAWHP to replace Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland from winter 2024/25

The Scottish Government is introducing Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) as a like-for-like replacement for the UK Government's Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) in Scotland from winter 2024/25, administered by Social Security Scotland¹. The policy note accompanying the draft Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Regulations was published on 29 April 2024¹.

The Scottish Government says everyone currently eligible for WFP will continue to receive the same level of support¹. PAWHP will be a single annual payment of £100, £150, £200 or £300 for individuals, depending on age and household circumstances during the qualifying week, with approximately 1 million individuals expected to receive it each year¹. The qualifying week is the seven consecutive calendar days starting on the third Monday of September¹.

Eligibility requires being of state pension age and ordinarily resident in Scotland, or habitually resident in an eligible EEA country or Switzerland with a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland, during the qualifying week¹. Exclusions mirror WFP and cover people receiving free in-patient treatment for more than 52 weeks, those detained in custody under a court sentence, and people in residential care for the qualifying week and the 12 weeks before it who receive Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support¹. The non-lead claimant of a relevant benefit is also excluded¹. DWP will supply data so Social Security Scotland can make automatic payments without an application¹. Applications close on 31 March, with late applications permitted in exceptional circumstances¹. Overpayments above £65 are intended to be recovered¹.

The Scottish Government consulted between 23 October 2023 and 15 January 2024 and received 906 responses, 25 from organisations and 881 from individuals¹.

A later Social Security Scotland factsheet, dated August 2026, sets out different figures and a later start. It states that state pensioners in Scotland born on or before 27 June 1960 will get the payment, that payments will be made from November 2026 and continue throughout the winter, and that people will receive between £105.55 and £316.70 depending on their circumstances during the qualifying week². It says most people will be paid automatically into the same account as their state pension or Social Security Scotland benefits². Where total individual income is over £35,000, HMRC will take the payment back through the tax system². For PAYE customers this happens through a tax code change, and in 2027/28 HMRC will begin collecting payments in advance during the year they are paid, meaning a period when two Pension Age Winter Heating Payments are collected². Self Assessment customers must include the payment on their tax return². People can opt out of all future payments, and receiving it does not affect other benefits².

Source: Social Security Scotland factsheet, August 2026²

The two sources do not agree on amounts or timing. The April 2024 policy note describes payments of £100 to £300 from winter 2024/25¹; the August 2026 factsheet describes payments of £105.55 to £316.70 from November 2026². A DWP statistical release published 26 February 2026 states that the Scottish Government brought forward legislation for a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment that replaced the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland and was linked to Pension Credit and other qualifying benefits, and that the Scottish Government announced PAWHP would be paid at a slightly higher rate than Winter Fuel Payments and recovered through the tax system in the same way³. It also states that from winter 2025 to 2026, Winter Fuel Payments were made to all pensioners in England and Wales, with those on taxable income over £35,000 a year, and not receiving Pension Credit or other qualifying benefits, having the payment recovered through the tax system³.

Why it matters for households

Pensioners in Scotland who would have received Winter Fuel Payment are affected, with the payment delivered by Social Security Scotland rather than DWP¹. Most will be paid automatically without applying². The amount depends on age, who else in the household qualifies, and whether the person receives certain income-related benefits or lives in residential care¹. Under the August 2026 factsheet, a single pensioner under 80 living alone receives £211.15, while a single pensioner over 80 receives £316.70². Where two people in a household both qualify and are both under 80, each receives £105.55². People whose total individual income exceeds £35,000 have the payment recovered through the tax system, and HMRC assesses each person's income separately where more than one person in a household is paid². Receiving PAWHP does not affect other benefits². People who deferred their State Pension, who receive no other benefit from DWP, the Ministry of Defence or Social Security Scotland, or who are in a couple with a joint award for Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Universal Credit where the main claimant is under State Pension age, may need to apply². Applications can be made by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 or by requesting a paper form². People should report changes of circumstance, such as moving into a care home or living with someone else who is eligible, to make sure they receive the correct value².

Separately, DWP statistics show Pension Credit applications in Great Britain fell in the most recent 52 weeks. Between 24 February 2025 and 22 February 2026, DWP received 209,735 Pension Credit applications, a 36% decrease or 117,595 fewer than the comparable period a year earlier³. It cleared 242,440 claims, a 25% decrease, awarded 147,150, a 13% decrease, and did not award 95,290, a 38% decrease³. There were 11,710 outstanding claims at the end of the week commencing 16 February 2026, down 65% on a year earlier³. The release notes that previous publications included a narrative on the increase in Pension Credit applications and awards following the Winter Fuel Payment announcement on 29 July 2024 for winter 2024 to 2025, and that following later changes the series now provides a 52-week rolling presentation of Great Britain figures³.

What happens next

Under the August 2026 factsheet, payments are made from November 2026 and continue throughout the winter². In 2027/28, HMRC will begin collecting payments in advance during the year they are paid, creating a period when two Pension Age Winter Heating Payments are collected². Applications for PAWHP close on 31 March, with late applications permitted in exceptional circumstances¹. The Scottish Government said the consultation analysis report and its response would be published imminently¹.