Scotland to introduce Pension Age Winter Heating Payment from winter 2025/26

The Scottish Government has set out amended rules for the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP), which will be delivered by Social Security Scotland as a universal payment for all pensioner households from winter 2025/26¹. The Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025, published on 16 June 2025, introduce universal eligibility and are subject to affirmative procedure in the Scottish Parliament¹. In winter 2024/25 the payment was delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions under an agency agreement, and was restricted to pensioners receiving relevant benefits¹.

For those in receipt of relevant benefits, PAWHP continues as a single annual payment of £203.40 for those of pension age below 80, and £305.10 for those aged 80 and over¹. For pensioner households not in receipt of relevant benefits, the regulations introduce a universal payment of £100 per household; where the person lives with other entitled individuals, this is given as an individual shared rate payment of £50¹. The relevant benefits listed are Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and Universal Credit¹. Eligibility is linked to age and circumstances during the qualifying week, the third full week in September¹.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts spending on PAWHP at £98 million in 2025-26 and £113 million in 2030-31¹. The Scottish Government forecasts that universal eligibility will provide support to 812,000 households in 2025/26, an investment of £101 million, compared with 137,000 forecast to receive the payment under the restricted eligibility in winter 2024/25¹.

The earlier policy note for the 2024 regulations, published 29 April 2024, described PAWHP as a like-for-like replacement for the Winter Fuel Payment, with payments of £100, £150, £200 or £300 depending on age and household circumstances, and anticipated around 1 million recipients a year². A Fairer Scotland Duty assessment published 26 September 2024 said the UK Government's decision to restrict Winter Fuel Payment eligibility left Scottish Ministers with no choice but to mirror that approach, with payments of £200 or £300 and support for between 110,000 and 130,000 eligible people in winter 2024³.

Sources: Scottish Government policy notes². The 2024 policy note gave different figures for the earlier scheme: £200 for a household under 80 and £300 for a household with someone over 80².

Why it matters for households

From winter 2025/26, pensioner households in Scotland will receive PAWHP from Social Security Scotland rather than the Winter Fuel Payment, which for winter 2024/25 was paid on equivalent terms by the DWP to eligible pensioners in Scotland¹. The change means households not receiving Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance become eligible for a £100 household payment, or £50 each where they live with other entitled individuals¹. Those on the listed benefits receive the higher rates of £203.40 or £305.10 depending on age¹. The qualifying week is the third full week in September, so circumstances in that week determine entitlement and payment level¹. People in a care home or independent hospital throughout the qualifying week and the 12 weeks before it, and in receipt of relevant benefits, are excluded¹. The payment can be exported to eligible EEA countries and Switzerland for those who retained protections after EU exit, using the warmest region of the UK as a temperature link¹.

What happens next

Applications will be accepted until 31 March following the qualifying week, with late applications only where there is good reason¹. Clients can opt out at any time, with opt-out taking effect for subsequent winters, and can opt back in up to 31 March for the immediately preceding winter¹. The regulations provide 42 calendar days for a client to request a re-determination, up from 31 days under the current PAWHP regulations, and 56 days for a decision on a re-determination request¹. The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025, due to come into force on 23 June 2025, remove references to tax credits from the principal regulations¹.