Nearly 900,000 pensioners across Scotland are expected to receive the devolved winter heating payment from November, with payments worth up to £316.70 for those aged 80 and over.
The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will be worth £211.15 for eligible single pensioners aged between 66 and 79, up from £203.40 last winter. Social Security Scotland is expected to start sending payments automatically from the end of November, with payments continuing throughout the winter.
Around 879,000 pensioners across Scotland are set to benefit from the support this year. The payment has replaced the UK Government's Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland and was delivered by Social Security Scotland for the first time last year, when more than one million payments were issued.
Payment rates by age and household
The amount someone receives depends on their age and household circumstances. Single pensioners aged between 66 and 79 will receive £211.15, while those aged 80 or over will receive £316.70.
Pensioner couples aged between 66 and 79 will receive £105.55 each, while the rate for couples aged 80 and over is £158.35. Pensioners living in residential care could receive £105.55.
Who qualifies and how to get it
Eligibility for this winter's payment is based on reaching State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week, which ran from September 21 to September 27. The State Pension age is currently gradually increasing from 66 to 67, meaning someone must have been born on or before June 27, 1960 to have reached the qualifying age by September 27 and be eligible for the 2026/27 payment.
Most eligible pensioners do not need to make a claim. Social Security Scotland will send the money to the same bank account used for their State Pension or any Social Security Scotland benefit they receive. However, a small number of people will need to apply, including those who have deferred their State Pension and some couples with a joint award for Pension Credit, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Universal Credit where the main person receiving the benefit is under State Pension age. An online eligibility checker is also available.
Income over £35,000 and tax recovery
Pensioners with total individual income above £35,000 can still receive the payment, but it will later be recovered through the tax system by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts around one million payments will initially be made this winter, with approximately 180,000 subsequently recovered, leaving around 879,000 pensioners benefiting from the support.
People with income above £35,000 who do not want to receive the money and then have it recovered can opt out. The deadline to do this online is midday on October 19, 2026, either online or by calling Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222. For people who pay tax through PAYE, HMRC will recover the payment automatically through changes to their tax code. Self Assessment customers will need to include Pension Age Winter Heating Payment on their tax return, with HMRC including the information automatically for online filers where possible.
There is also an unusual transition coming in the 2027/28 tax year, as HMRC will begin recovering winter payments in advance during the year in which they are paid. This means both the winter 2026 and winter 2027 payments will be recovered during the 2027/28 tax year for affected pensioners as HMRC moves to the new system.
