State pensioners living in council tax bands A to D can receive up to £400 this winter, combining the Winter Fuel Payment with a new £100 Household Energy Payment announced by Chancellor John Healey in the Budget.
Every state pensioner will receive at least £150 in Winter Fuel Payment cash between November 2026 and January 31, 2027, regardless of income. Those earning more than £35,000 will have to repay it to HMRC, while those aged over 80 will see theirs increased to £200-£300, depending on whether they live alone or as a state-pensioner couple.
How the payments break down
The Winter Fuel Payment provides state pensioners with up to £300 in support for energy bills. For state pensioners aged under 80, the payment is £200 (or £100 for a state pensioner under 80 who lives with another state pensioner under 80). For a state pensioner aged over 80, the payment is increased to £300 (or £150 if they live with another state pensioner over 80).
These payments are made regardless of income, though those earning over £35,000 in a single tax year will have to repay the winter fuel payment through their HMRC tax code or via self-assessment. The Household Energy Payment is not means-tested in this way, but is simply based on council tax band, so a state pensioner aged over 80 living in council tax bands A, B, C or D will get £400 of winter fuel payments this winter.
Household Energy Payment details
The £100 Household Energy Payment, announced in the Budget last month, is aimed at helping households with spiralling energy bills. It will be paid to those living in households in council tax bands A to D. Alongside this, the Chancellor extended the VAT cut on electricity and scrapped daily standing charges for gas.
Current forecasts predict that the Ofgem price cap could rise by as much as £465 in January, according to EDF Energy, which would represent an 87.7% year-on-year price rise for gas alone.
Timing and reaction
The £300 Winter Fuel Payment is paid between November and January, while the £100 Household Energy Payment is paid from January. A letter from the Local Taxation Division, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says: "The government recognises the impact of rising energy costs on households across the UK. That is why, alongside a wider package of measures to support households with energy bills and the cost of living, the government has announced it will be providing a £100 Household Energy Payment for households in council tax bands A to D. This is a one-off payment for this financial year. The core scheme is targeted at properties occupied as a sole or main residence."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has defended the £100 energy support payment as "real help" when people "need it most" amid criticism it will barely dent soaring bills. The payment, to be made to households in council tax bands A to D in January at a cost of £2.6billion, was announced in the Budget. Campaigners and think tanks have described it as badly targeted and too small to protect households from the predicted rise in energy costs in January.
The left-leaning Resolution Foundation think tank said it was "a terribly, badly targeted kind of support" as there "are lots of people who are doing OK who probably can manage without that money, and probably need to manage without that money if we're going to support the people we need to support at a time when we don't have a lot of money to throw around in the first place".
Asked about the criticism of the measure during a Thursday visit to a Rolls-Royce factory in Derby, Mr Burnham said: "We're very focused on giving families as much breathing space as we possibly can. Often with a budget, people would have come home from work and said, 'Well, this doesn't help me. It's always for somebody else'. Well, if you're going to give that support to people in council tax bands A to D, that gets to the vast majority of the country. It is help, real help that will land in people's bank accounts in January."
