Pensioners over State Pension age could be due up to £538.70 in extra financial support this winter, including heating payments and energy bill help from the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). There are four cash payments and one paid directly to energy suppliers, amounting to £538.70 in additional support for some households.
Most of these payments will not start going out until November, but could be factored into household budgets this autumn, especially after the energy price cap rise on October 1. It is also important to note that Pension Age Winter Heating Payment has replaced Winter Fuel Payments in Scotland.
Payments from Scottish Government and DWP
Pensioners with a Scottish postcode, born on or before June 27, 1960, with an annual income at or below £35,000 will receive either £211.15 or £316.70 from the Scottish Government this winter, depending on their age and household living arrangements.
Winter Fuel Payments are delivered by the DWP to pensioners with an income at or below £35,000 in England and Wales only. Payments of £200 for those aged between 66 and 79, or £300 for those aged 80 and over, will be issued automatically later this year to pensioners born on or before June 27, 1960.
Pensioners with an annual income of £35,000 or more can receive the payment but will need to pay it back through PAYE or Self Assessment. The deadline to opt out of Winter Fuel Payments has now passed, but pensioners in Scotland can still opt out of Pension Age Winter Heating Payment by October 19.
Breakdown of Support Available
Financial help on the way before March 31, 2027, includes:
- Winter Heating Payment (£62.00) - cash payment issued by the Scottish Government
- Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (£105.55, £211.15 and £316.70) - cash payment issued by the Scottish Government
- Winter Fuel Payment (£100 - £300) - cash payments issued by DWP to pensioners in England and Wales only
- Warm Home Discount (£150) - paid directly from DWP to energy providers and usually added as credit to customer’s electricity account
- DWP Christmas Bonus (£10) - issued by DWP
Someone aged between 66 and 79, living in Scotland, could potentially receive £283.15 from the three cash payments before the end of March 2027. This is made up of £211.15 from the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, £62.00 from the Winter Heating Payment, and £10 DWP Christmas Bonus.
Someone over 80 living in Scotland could potentially receive £388.70 from the three cash payments before the end of March 2027. When factoring in the £150 Warm Home Discount help, paid directly to energy suppliers, this amounts to £538.70 in extra support. This is made up of £316.70 from the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, £62.00 from the Winter Heating Payment, and £10 DWP Christmas Bonus.
Eligibility and Payment Details
Winter Heating Payment (£62.00) is for Scotland only. Payments were issued in December last year and are expected around the same time in 2026. You may qualify automatically if you get Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support or Income based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Related Employment Support Allowance, or Support for Mortgage Interest.
The qualifying week for this year’s payment will be in early November, typically the first full week. Eligible people over State Pension age living in Scotland will automatically receive a one-off heating payment of up to £316.70. To be eligible for the 2026 payment, you must have been born on or before June 27, 1960, and during the qualifying week (Monday September 21 to Sunday September 27, 2026) you must have lived in Scotland on at least the last day of the qualifying week.
Winter 2026/27 payment rates for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment are: £105.55 for pensioners in residential care, £211.15 for single pensioners aged 66-79, £316.70 for single pensioners aged 80 and over, £105.55 each for pensioner couples aged 66-79, and £158.35 each for pensioner couples aged 80 and over.
You will not be eligible if you were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole qualifying week and the 52 weeks leading up to it, were in custody under a sentence imposed by a court for the whole qualifying week, or need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave says you cannot claim public funds.
Winter Fuel Payments and Other Help
The DWP has confirmed the 2026/27 Winter Fuel Payment will be issued automatically to those born on or before June 27, 1960 with an annual income at or below £35,000. Payments of £200 will be issued automatically to those aged between 66 and 79, while those aged 80 or over will receive £300.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2026 to 2027 opens this month and will give people on certain benefits £150 off their electricity bill. The money is paid directly by the DWP to energy suppliers between October and March. Eligible households may also be able to get the discount off their gas bill instead if their supplier provides both gas and electricity. If you’re a credit customer, the £150 will be added to your electricity account; if you’re on Pay As You Go or Prepayment, you’ll be sent a voucher to top up your meter.
The DWP Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free £10 payment made to people in receipt of State Pension or those claiming certain other benefits during the qualifying week, usually the first full week of December. Nobody needs to apply for the extra £10 as it should automatically go into the account where you usually receive your State Pension or benefit payment. It is issued by the DWP as a separate payment, so it may arrive on a different day.
Eligible benefits for the Christmas Bonus include Adult Disability Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment, Child Disability Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance, Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate, Industrial Death Benefit, Mobility Supplement, Pension Age Disability Payment, Pension Credit (the guarantee element), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA), Severe Disablement Allowance, State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit), Unemployability Supplement or Allowance, War Disablement Pension at State Pension age, War Widow’s Pension, Widowed Mother’s Allowance, Widowed Parent’s Allowance, and Widow’s Pension.
If you have not claimed your State Pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits, you will not get a Christmas Bonus. Full details on all schemes are available on GOV.UK and MYGOV.SCOT.
