New Pension Age Winter Heating Payment rates for winter 2026/27 have been published.Pension Credit – Could you or someone you know be eligible?

Pensioners in Scotland are set to receive up to £316.70 later this year to help cover the cost of higher heating bills during the colder months. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is designed to help people of State Pension age and replaces Winter Fuel payments for those with a Scottish postcode.

The Scottish Government has published a full list of the new rates for devolved benefits and one-off payments for the 2026/27 financial year, which shows Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will rise by 3.8 per cent.

This means the annual payment for people over 66 will be worth between £105.55 and £316.70 in winter 2026/27 – considerably higher than its equivalent benefit south of the border, Winter Fuel Payment, which is worth either £100, £300 or £300.

READ MORE: Pensioners urged to claim winter energy payments before deadline this monthREAD MORE: Pensioners or people on Universal Credit may be due extra £59 payment this monthPension Age Winter Heating Payment rates 2026/27

The following rates will be issued later this year, usually from the end of November.

Pensioners in residential care – £105.55Single pensioners aged between 66 and 79 – £211.15Single pensioners aged 80 and over – £316.70Pensioner couples aged between 66 and 79 – £105.55Pensioner couples aged 80 and over – £158.35

It’s important to be aware that automatic Pension Age Winter Heating Payments for winter 2025/26 have ended.

However, Social Security Scotland is encouraging older people who have chosen to defer claiming their State Pension to make a claim for the 2025/26 payment before March 31, 2026. Full details on how to make a claim can be found on MYGOV.SCOT.

Eligible pensioners could receive a payment of £101.70, £205.40 or £305.10, depending on their age and household living arrangements.

Alongside people who have deferred their State Pension who might need to claim are couples 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 where the main person getting that benefit is under State Pension age.

You can check whether you should apply on MYGOV.SCOT.

Payment rates winter 2025/26

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

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

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 partnerGet the latest Record Money news

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