Winter Fuel Payment replaced in Scotland by Pension Age Winter Heating Payment

The Winter Fuel Payment has been replaced in Scotland by a new benefit called the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, according to Turn2us, which reviewed its guidance on 5 August 2026¹. The Scottish payment has the same eligibility criteria as the Winter Fuel Payment in the rest of the UK¹. The Daily Record reported on 22 September 2026 that the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment has replaced Winter Fuel Payments in Scotland².

For winter 2026/27, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is paid at different rates depending on age and household circumstances. The Daily Record gives the following rates²:

To be eligible for the 2026 payment, a person must have been born on or before 27 June 1960, and must have lived in Scotland on at least the last day of the qualifying week, which ran from Monday 21 September to Sunday 27 September 2026². The Daily Record states that people are not eligible if they were in hospital receiving free treatment for the whole qualifying week and the 52 weeks leading up to it, were in custody under a court sentence for the whole qualifying week, or need permission to enter the UK and their granted leave says they cannot claim public funds². Turn2us says the Scottish payment has the same eligibility criteria as the Winter Fuel Payment elsewhere in the UK¹.

The Winter Fuel Payment continues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Turn2us states that all pensioners there will receive a Winter Fuel Payment during winter 2026/27 unless they choose to opt out, and that eligibility requires being born before 28 June 1960 and living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland during the qualifying week of 21 to 27 September 2026¹. The Daily Record reports that the 2026/27 Winter Fuel Payment will be issued automatically to those born on or before 27 June 1960 with an annual income at or below £35,000, with £200 for those aged 66 to 79 and £300 for those aged 80 or over². Turn2us says that people with annual income above £35,000 must pay the payment back, recovered by HMRC through a changed tax code in the 2027 to 2028 tax year, or added to the 2026 to 2027 tax year for those who submit a Self-Assessment return¹. The two sources give slightly different birth date cut-offs: Turn2us says born before 28 June 1960¹, while the Daily Record says born on or before 27 June 1960².

Why it matters for households

Pensioner households in Scotland receive a different payment, from the Scottish Government, rather than the DWP Winter Fuel Payment. The Daily Record reports that someone aged 66 to 79 living in Scotland could potentially receive £283.15 from three cash payments before the end of March 2027, made up of £211.15 from the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, £62.00 from the Winter Heating Payment and a £10 DWP Christmas Bonus². For someone over 80 in Scotland, it puts the three cash payments at £388.70, or £538.70 when the £150 Warm Home Discount is included². The Daily Record says the Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2026 to 2027 usually opens in October and gives people on certain benefits £150 off their electricity bill, paid directly by the DWP to energy suppliers between October and March². The Winter Heating Payment is a £62.00 cash payment issued by the Scottish Government, with payments issued in December last year and expected around the same time in 2026².

The opt-out deadline for the Winter Fuel Payment has passed, but the Daily Record reports that pensioners in Scotland can still opt out of the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment². Turn2us says the deadline to opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment was 11:59pm on 20 September 2026 by form, or 6pm on 18 September 2026 by phone, and that anyone who opted out and wants to opt back in should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre before 31 March 2027¹.

What happens next

The Daily Record reports that most of the payments will not start going out until November, though most will be issued before the end of this year². The qualifying week for the Winter Heating Payment will be in early November, typically the first full week². The Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2026 to 2027 usually opens in October². Full details of the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment and the Winter Fuel Payment are published by the respective governments¹.