Guidance from the Department for Work and Pensions<\/a> (DWP) states that to opt out you need to either complete the opt out form online by Monday, September 15, or call the helpline on 08007310160 before 6pm on Monday, September 15.<\/p>\n When you contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre, you will need to give them personal details including your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance<\/a> number.<\/p>\n READ MORE: \u00a3203 heating help this winter for people in Scotland aged between 66 and 79<\/a>READ MORE: Full list of benefits and payments only people over State Pension age can claim<\/a><\/p>\n The DWP has confirmed 9 million people born before September 22, 1959 will receive between \u00a3100 and \u00a3300 to help cover the cost of higher heating bills during the colder months. Winter Fuel Payments will be issued automatically to eligible pensioners in England and Wales during November or December.<\/p>\n The Scottish Government will also issue payments of between \u00a3101.70 and \u00a3305.10 to around 800,000 pensioners from November, adopting the revised policy being followed by the DWP.<\/p>\n Pensioners in Scotland with an income of \u00a335,000 and below will be entitled to the one-off payment, with people given the provision to opt-out or pay it back through the PAYE system or Self Assessment tax return. Full details on opting out of the Scottish payment can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n The qualifying period for both payments runs from Monday, September 15 to Sunday, September 21, 2025.<\/p>\n Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments<\/p>\n You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born before September 22, 1959 and live in England or Wales.<\/p>\n When you will not be eligible<\/p>\n You will not be eligible if you:<\/p>\n live outside England and Wales (full Scotland details here<\/a>)were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025 and the year before thatneed permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says that you cannot claim public fundswere in prison for the whole of the week of 15 to 21 September 2025If you live in a care home<\/p>\n You can get Winter Fuel Payment if you live in a care home, however, you will not be eligible if both of the following apply:<\/p>\n you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker\u2019s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)you lived in a care home for the whole time from 23 June 2025 or earlierPayments<\/p>\n DWP guidance explains: \u201cYou\u2019ll get a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you\u2019ll get, if you\u2019re eligible.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you do not get a letter but think you\u2019re eligible, check if you need to make a claim.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to be aware that scammers may try and trick you into making a claim by text, prompting you to click on a link. This is not an official DWP message and should be deleted. If you think you need to claim, follow the guidance on GOV.UK here.<\/a><\/p>\n The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 15 to 21 September 2025. This is called the \u2018qualifying week\u2019. Any money you get will not affect your other benefits.<\/p>\n You will get either:<\/p>\n \u00a3200 if you were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959\u00a3300 if you were born before September 22, 1945If you live with someone else who is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment<\/p>\n Your payment may be different if you get one of the following benefits:<\/p>\n Pension CreditUniversal Creditincome-based Jobseeker\u2019s Allowance (JSA)income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)Income SupportIf you do not get any of the benefits<\/p>\n You will get a payment of:<\/p>\n \u00a3100 if you and the person you live with were both born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959\u00a3100 if you were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959 but the person you live with was born before September 22, 1945\u00a3200 if you were born before September 22, 1945 but the person you live with was born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959\u00a3150 if you and the person you live with were born before September 22, 1945If you and your partner jointly claim any of the benefits<\/p>\n One of you will get a payment of either:<\/p>\n \u00a3200 if both of you were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959\u00a3300 if one or both of you were born before September 22, 1945<\/p>\n The money will be paid into the bank account your benefits are usually paid into.<\/p>\n If you get any of the benefits (not as part of a joint claim)<\/p>\n You will get a payment of either:<\/p>\n \u00a3200 if you were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959\u00a3300 if you were born before September 22, 1945If your income is more than \u00a335,000<\/p>\n HMRC will take back all of your Winter Fuel Payment through either PAYE or your Self Assessment tax return.<\/p>\n If you live in a care home<\/p>\n If you are eligible you\u2019ll get either:<\/p>\n \u00a3100 if you were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959\u00a3150 if you were born before September 22, 1945When you will get paid<\/p>\n DWP said most payments will be made automatically in November or December.<\/p>\n You should get a letter telling you:<\/p>\n how much you\u2019ll getwhich bank account it will be paid into – this is usually the same account as your State Pension or other benefits<\/p>\n DWP added: \u201cIf you do not get a letter or the money has not been paid into your account by 28 January 2026, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Opting out of Winter Fuel Payment<\/p>\n To opt out of getting Winter Fuel payments, you need to either:<\/p>\n complete the opt out form on or before September 15, 2025call the helpline before 6pm on September 15, 2025<\/p>\n Full details on what you will need before contacting the Winter Fuel Payment Centre can be found on GOV.UK here.<\/a><\/p>\n Join the conversation on our Money Saving Scotland Facebook group<\/a> for money-saving tips, the latest State Pension and benefits news, energy bill advice and cost of living updates.<\/p>\n Sign up to our Record Money newsletter and get the top stories sent to your inbox daily from Monday to Friday with a special cost of living edition every Thursday – sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @Recordmoney_<\/a> for regular updates throughout the day or get money news alerts on your phone by joining our Daily Record Money WhatsApp community<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/14_DO_141215winter.jpg\")
The qualifying week for this year\u2019s Winter Fuel Payments starts on Monday, September 15.(Image: Getty Images )If you live alone or no one you live with is eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_DR-MOney.png\")
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