People qualifying for the Winter Fuel Payment may want to make a note of a date in their diary. The one-off DWP payment is set to go out some nine million people this winter. Payments will range from £100 to £300, although some people will have to pay it back.
Most people get the cash automatically but some people need to get in an application. If you want to do this by post, you can do so now, as postal applications opened on September 15.
But if you want to apply for your payment over the phone, you can do so from Monday, October 13. You can do this by calling the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160.
Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. Before calling, you will need to have certain details to hand, including your National Insurance number and your bank or building society details. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2026.
Most people born before September 22, 1959, will get the Winter Fuel Payment, with payments arriving in November or December. You will have to pay it back if you earn over £35,000.
You will not need to apply if you get any of these benefits:
- State pension
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Income Support
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Awards from the War Pensions Scheme
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Incapacity Benefit
- Industrial Death Benefit.
If you do not get any of these, you need to claim if either you have not had the Winter Fuel Payment before or if you have deferred your state pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment.
