Nearly 900,000 older people in Scotland will receive the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment this year.

At least 880,000 people of State Pension age will receive a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) from Social Security Scotland this winter. The annual devolved payment has replaced Winter Fuel Payments for people in Scotland.

Payments will start going out this month and will be made into the same bank account as someone’s State Pension or Social Security Scotland benefit. Eligible people will receive a payment of between £101.70 and £305.10, depending on their age and household living arrangements.

Most people will receive the payment automatically, no action is needed. Pensioners with a taxable annual income over £35,000 will have the payment taken back through their tax code or Self Assessment Tax return by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

READ MORE: Full list of Winter Fuel Payment dates and amounts due for pensionersREAD MORE: Check if you are due £59 winter heating payment before crucial qualifying week

An eligibility checker has also been created on the Scottish Government website to help people find out how much they are likely to receive.

Payments will go into the same bank account as your State Pension, or any Social Security Scotland benefits you get with the reference ‘PAWHP’.

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£203.40 – single pensioners born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959£305.10 -single pensioners born before September 22, 1945

A small number of people will need to apply and must do so before the deadline on March 31, 2026.

These include people who have deferred their State Pension or are a couple with a joint award for Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income Support or Universal Credit and the main person getting that benefit is under State Pension age.

You can check whether you need to apply on the MYGOV website.

Eligibility for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment

Social Security Scotland will look at your situation during the qualifying week – this took place between September 15-21, 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 CreditUsing the online payment checker

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

The opt-out deadline closed on October 10, anyone with an income over £35,000 will have the payments clawed back through PAYE or Self-Assessment.

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