Two million pensioners could lose £300 winter support payment | Personal Finance | Finance

Despite the introduction of new rules to widen the eligibility criteria, around two million pensioners are predicted to lose their Winter Fuel Payment this year. Winter Fuel Payments, which can be worth up to £300, are made to people born before 22 September 1959.

However, if your annual income surpasses £35,000, you will be obliged to repay your Winter Fuel Payment. The funds will initially be dispatched to you, but HMRC will subsequently reclaim them through the tax system.

In most cases, the Winter Fuel Payment will be automatically recouped via PAYE by adjusting your tax code. If you’re already using self-assessment, then it will need to be included in your tax return.

The £35,000 income eligibility is based on your individual income, so it may be that one person in your household gets to keep their share of the Winter Fuel Payment, while someone else has to pay their bit back, reports the Mirror. For instance, if one person earns £40,000 a year and their partner earns £30,000, the higher earner would have to pay back their share of the Winter Fuel Payment but the other person would keep theirs.

Although you could opt out of receiving your Winter Fuel Payment, the deadline for this was 15 September 2025. Winter Fuel Payments are typically sent in November or December by the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ).

Eligible households can receive payments of £200, or £300 for those with someone aged over 80. Eligibility is determined by your age at the end of the qualifying week.

The qualifying week for this year’s Winter Fuel Payment runs from 15 to 21 September 2025. If you’re receiving any of the following benefits, your Winter Fuel Payment will be sent to you automatically:

• State Pension
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Carer’s Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Awards from the War Pensions Scheme
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Incapacity Benefit
• Industrial Death Benefit

If you don’t receive any of these benefits, you’ll need to claim your Winter Fuel Payment if either of the following applies:

However, you won’t be eligible if you were in a hospital receiving free treatment for the entirety of the qualifying week and the preceding year, or if you were in prison during the qualifying week. Additionally, you won’t be eligible if you resided in a care home continuously from 23 June 2025 or earlier and you claim certain benefits, including Universal Credit and Pension Credit.

In Scotland, the Winter Fuel Payment has been replaced with the new Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.