Automatic payments of up to £316.70 have been confirmed for eligible state pensioners from November. The money is a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment for people of State Pension age in Scotland to help pay for heating bills this winter.
Payment details and eligibility
The payments are issued by Social Security Scotland once per year as a replacement for the Winter Fuel Payment for people in Scotland. As the Scottish Government now has its own social security system, some DWP benefits have been replaced with new benefits in Scotland, such as the Winter Fuel Payment.
If you live in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are of State Pension age, you’ll get a Winter Fuel Payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from November instead.
How much and when
Scotland’s Pension Age Winter Fuel Payments are worth between £105.55 and £316.70, and will be issued to most people who are eligible automatically, meaning pensioners don’t need to apply to get it this winter.
To be eligible, you must have been born on, or before, June 27, 1960 (the same criteria as the DWP Winter Fuel Payment), and you must be living in Scotland on at least the last day of the ‘qualifying week’. For winter 2026 to 2027, Social Security Scotland has confirmed the qualifying week is from Monday, September 21, to Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Payment process and amounts
If you meet the qualifying criteria, you will receive a letter to confirm your payment from November 2026, with payments then rolling out automatically. Confirming the payments from November, Social Security Scotland said: “Most eligible people will be paid automatically. Payments started from November 2026 and continue throughout winter. You’ll get a letter before you’re paid to tell you how much you’ll get.
“Your payment will go into the same bank account as your State Pension, or any Social Security Scotland benefits you get.”
The exact amount you’ll be paid will depend on your age in the qualifying week, but single pensioners born between September 28, 1946 and June 27, 1960, can expect to get £211.15, while single older pensioners born before September 28, 1946, can expect to get the maximum amount at £316.70.
Tax implications
Pensioners with a total annual individual income of more than £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment taken back by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), similarly to pensioners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. HMRC will take back the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment either by changing your tax code for the 2027 to 2028 tax year, or adding the amount to your 2026 to 2027 Self Assessment tax return.
