Letters confirming automatic Pension Age Winter Heating Payments of up to £316.70 will be sent to eligible state pensioners in Scotland from November. The letters will confirm the exact amount each eligible pensioner will receive this winter to help with heating bills.
Because the Scottish Government operates its own social security system, some Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits have been replaced in Scotland, including the Winter Fuel Payment. Pensioners living in Scotland will instead receive a Pension Age Winter Heating Payment worth between £105.55 and £316.70.
Eligibility and payment amounts
You will be eligible if you were born on or before June 27, 1960, and lived in Scotland on at least the last day of the qualifying week, which this year ran between September 21 and 27, 2026. The amount depends on age and household circumstances: single pensioners born between September 28, 1946 and June 27, 1960 can expect £211.15, while single older pensioners born before September 28, 1946 can expect the maximum £316.70.
In most cases the payment will be issued automatically, so no application is needed. Social Security Scotland has confirmed letters will be sent from November to confirm payments, with payments issued automatically from November and continuing through winter. The payment will go into the same bank account as the State Pension or any Social Security Scotland benefits.
Recovery for higher incomes
Social Security Scotland said: “You could get a payment of between £105.55 and £316.70. Most eligible people get the payment automatically and do not need to apply. You’ll get a letter to confirm your payment. Letters are being sent from November 2026.”
The Scottish Fiscal Commission has forecast around 1.059 million Pension Age Winter Heating Payments will be made in winter 2026-27, with the number of payments recovered estimated at 180,000. Pensioners with a total annual individual income above £35,000 will have the payment clawed back by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), similarly to pensioners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland receiving a Winter Fuel Payment from the DWP. HMRC will recover the money either by changing the tax code for the 2027 to 2028 tax year or adding the amount to the 2026 to 2027 Self Assessment tax return.
Social Security Scotland added: “Pension Age Winter Heating Payment has replaced Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland, providing people of State Pension age with a payment between £105.55 and £316.70 depending on their age and household circumstances. Payments are issued to all eligible pensioners but are recovered from those with an individual income of over £35,000 by HMRC. Payments will begin from November and continue throughout the winter.”
