The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is urging state pensioners to look for a six-letter code on their bank statements from this month.<\/p>\n
Around nine million pensioners across England and Wales are due to receive a \u201cvital\u201d payment of up to \u00a3300<\/a> in November and December for energy costs<\/a> during the cold winter months. The DWP<\/a> has confirmed that Winter Fuel Payments<\/a> are now being sent to eligible households, with the payments to be made automatically from now until the end of December. Pensioners will receive between \u00a3100 and \u00a3300 depending on their circumstances, including whether they live on their own, in a care home, or if they are entitled to other benefits.<\/p>\n According to the DWP, the vast majority of pensioners should see their Winter Fuel Payment<\/a> land in their bank account by mid-December and they can spot it by looking for the six-letter code \u201cDWP WFP\u201d.<\/p>\n The DWP said: \u201cThe payment reference pensioners receive will begin with the recipient\u2019s National Insurance number followed by \u2018DWP WFP\u2019, helping people to identify it safely.<\/p>\n \u201cIf pensioners with an income of over \u00a335,000 received the Winter Fuel Payment<\/a>, they may need to repay it later \u2013 either automatically through their tax code from April 2026 or their tax return for 2025\/26. They do not need to do anything – HMRC<\/a> will be in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n Pensioners who haven\u2019t received a payment by January 28, 2026, are advised to contact the Winter Fuel Payment<\/a> Centre on 0800 731 0160.<\/p>\n As payments start to roll out, pensioners are being urged to be wary of a surge in scam messages about the Winter Fuel Payment<\/a> and are reminded that they will never be asked to provide their bank details to receive the payment.<\/p>\n Anyone who receives a text message inviting them to apply for a Winter Fuel Payment<\/a> should ignore it, and not click on any links, and instead forward it to 7726.<\/p>\n