Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will be issued automatically to most people, but some need to claim.

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) has now replaced Winter Fuel Payments for people over State Pension age in Scotland. One-off payments of £101.70, £203.40 and £305.10 will be issued automatically to most pensioners born before September 21, 1959 with an income at or below £35,000.

Similar to the Winter Fuel Payment policy, pensioners in Scotland will also be able to opt out receiving the payment. However, new guidance on MYGOV.SCOT also states that a “small number of people will need to apply” before the deadline on March 31, 2026.

The online guidance states: “Most eligible people will be paid automatically. Payments will start from November 2025 and continue throughout winter. You’ll get a letter before you’re paid to tell you how much you’ll get.”

READ MORE: DWP issues new Winter Fuel Payment warning to all pensionersREAD MORE: Full list of Winter Fuel Payment dates and amounts due for every pensioner household

Payments will go into the same bank account as your State Pension, or any Social Security Scotland benefits you get with the reference ‘PAWHP’. You can check whether you need to apply on the website.

Eligibility for PAWHP

Social Security Scotland will look at your situation during the qualifying week of Monday September 15 to Sunday September 21, 2025.

To be eligible, you must have:

been born on, or before, September 21, 1959lived in Scotland on at least the last day of the qualifying week

You will not be eligible if you:

were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole qualifying week and the 52 weeks leading up to itwere in custody, under a sentence imposed by a court, for the whole qualifying weekneed permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says you cannot claim public fundsIf you live in residential care

Residential care means a care home or a hospital that is not part of the NHS.

You will be eligible if:

You were born on, or before, September 21, 1959live in Scotland

You will not be eligible if all of the following apply:

you were in residential care for the whole qualifying week (September 15-21)you went into care before June 23, 2025you got any of these benefits during the qualifying week – Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income Support or Universal CreditPayments

You can use the online checker at MYGOV.SCOT to find out how much you will be paid, this depends on:

your agethe age of anyone you live with who is also eligibleif you live in residential careif you get certain other benefits and whether you get them as a joint award with your partnerOpting out

You can choose to opt out of getting Pension Age Winter Heating Payment from August 28, 2025. You will be able to do this by completing an opt out form on MYGOV.SCOT.

If you choose to opt out, you will not get the payment in future years unless you opt in again, which you can do by calling Social Security Scotland.

Payment rates

A full breakdown of payments for single pensioners and married couples of the same or mixed ages, can be found on MYGOV.SCOT, but as a general guide:

£101.70 – pensioners living in residential care£2003.40 – single pensioners born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959£305.10 -single pensioners born before September 22, 1945Get the latest Record Money news

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