Winter fuel payment deadline 2025

Who is eligible?

If you live in England or Wales, and were born before 22 September 1959, you will be eligible to receive between £100-£300 from the government this winter to help pay your heating bills. This is called the Winter Fuel Payment. If you meet the above criteria, HMRC should send you a confirmation letter in October or November detailing how much you will receive from them based on your circumstances.

If you are in doubt as to whether you will qualify for this payment, HMRC have created a useful online tool which you can use here, which will tell you if you are eligible or not.

If you do not receive a letter automatically but think you may be eligible, you can fill in a Winter Fuel Payment claim form and send it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre by 31 March 2026. Details of how to make a claim are here.

Payment clawback

If your total income is above £35,000, you will have to repay your Winter Fuel Payment back to HM Revenue and Customs. This will either be collected via your Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax code for 2026-27 or, if you complete Tax Returns, through your Self-Assessment Tax Return for the year ended 5 April 2026.

Opting out

Pensioners who know they will be subject to the clawback may wish to opt out of receiving the Winter Fuel Payment. The deadline for doing so is on or before 14 September 2025. To opt out you need to fill out the ‘online opt out form’ or contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre before the deadline. This can be done by phoning the HMRC helpline or by sending them a letter by post. When doing so, you will need to give them some of your personal details, such as: your name, your address, your date of birth and your National Insurance number.

Opting in

If you meet the criteria, you will automatically be opted in, there is nothing further you need to do.  Those eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment will be paid in November or December 2025.

If you have any queries about the tax implications of the winter fuel payment, please get in touch with Tiam Bakhtiar on 023 8046 1234 or email Tiam Bakhtiar.