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If you were born before 23 September 1958 you could get either £200 or £300 to help you pay your heating bills for winter 2024 to 2025. This is known as a ‘Winter Fuel Payment’.

You may be eligible if you or your partner get certain benefits.

If you’re eligible, you should have got a letter in October or November saying how much you’ll get.

If you did not get a letter but you think you’re eligible, check if you need to make a claim.

Most eligible people were paid in November or December. You may be paid later if you’re waiting for a decision on another benefit, for example Pension Credit. Find out what to do if you are not paid.

If you live in Scotland

You cannot get a Winter Fuel Payment. You might be . This will be paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Other help with heating bills

You could also get:

• a Cold Weather Payment - if you get certain benefits and the temperature drops to zero degrees Celsius or below for 7 days in a row
• the Warm Home Discount - this is a £150 discount on your bills if you get Pension Credit or live in a low-income household
• help from the Household Support Fund, if you’re eligible under your local council’s rules - check on your local council’s website

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for Winter 2024 to 2025 if you were born before 23 September 1958.

You must also live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and get one of the following:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

You’ll also need to have been getting a benefit during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024.

In some circumstances, you might be eligible if you live abroad.

When you will not be eligible

You will not be eligible if you:

• live in Scotland
• have been in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
• were in prison for the whole of the week of 16 to 22 September 2024
• were living in a care home for the whole time from 24 June to 22 September 2024

If you live in a care home

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if:

• you get certain benefits and are eligible
• you have lived in a care home for less than 13 weeks including the week of 16 to 22 September 2024

You should have got a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get, if you’re eligible.Ìý

If you do not get a letter but think you are eligible, check if you need to make a claim.

The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 16 and 22 September 2024. This is called the ‘qualifying week’.

Any money you get is tax-free and will not affect your other benefits.

If you live alone

You’ll get either:

• £200 if you were born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958
• £300 if you were born before 23 September 1944

If you live with someone

If you and your partner jointly claim any of the benefits, one of you will get a payment of either:

• £200 if one or both of you were born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958
• £300 if one or both of you were born before 23 September 1944

If you live in a care home

If you’re eligible you’ll get either:

• £200 if you were born between 23 September 1944 and 22 September 1958
• £300 if you were born before 23 September 1944

Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible.

You do not need to claim if you get any of the following:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

If you’re waiting for a Pension Credit decision

You’ll get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically when your claim for Pension Credit is approved.

If you’ve applied for Pension Credit but have not received a decision yet, you do not need to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre about your eligibility.

Get help and advice

Call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre if you’re not sure if you’re eligible. You cannot make a claim by phone.

Most payments are made automatically in November or December.

You should have got a letter telling you:

• how much you’ll get
• which bank account it will be paid into - this is usually the same account as your Pension Credit or other benefits

If you did not get a letter

If you did not get a letter and the money has not been paid into your account, contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

If you’re waiting for a Pension Credit decision

You’ll get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically when your claim for Pension Credit is approved.

If you’ve applied for Pension Credit but have not received a decision yet, you do not need to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

If you do not live in the UK, you’re only eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment if:

• you were born before 23 September 1958
• you get UK State Pension
• you have a genuine and sufficient link to the UK - this can include having lived or worked in the UK, and having family in the UK
• the UK is responsible for paying your benefits
• you moved to an eligible country before 31 December 2020 and are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement

If you are a British or Irish national living in Ireland, you do not need to have moved by 31 December 2020, but you will need to meet all of the other eligibility rules.

You must also be getting a qualifying means-tested benefit from the country you live in that is equivalent to:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income Support
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit

You’ll need to have been getting this benefit during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024

Eligible countries

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• Switzerland

How to claim

The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2024 to 2025 was 31 March 2025.

You can claim Winter Fuel Payment by post or phone.

When you make a claim, you’ll need to provide evidence of the means-tested benefit you are getting (from the country you live in).

Claim by post

You will need to claim Winter Fuel Payment even if you have got it before. The payment is not made automatically.

Download and fill in form IPCF091, if you’re a UK national or UK dual national living in an eligible country other than Ireland.

If you’ve not claimed Winter Fuel Payment before, you’ll also need to fill in a Winter Fuel Payment claim form.Ìý

If you got a Winter Fuel Payment before, you will need to provide evidence of the means-tested benefit you are getting (from the country you live in) in the Winter Fuel Payment additional information form.

Download the forms.

Send your completed forms to the following address.

Claim by phone

Call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre to claim by phone.

What to prepare before you call

Before you call, you will need to know:

• your National Insurance number
• your bank or building society details
• your BIC and IBAN numbers
• the date you were married or entered into a civil partnership (if appropriate)

You’ll also need to say whether during the qualifying week of 16 to 22 September 2024 you were:

• in hospital getting free in-patient treatment
• in a residential care home
• in prison

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.

Contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre if you’re eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment and you:

• need to report a change of circumstances
• need to change your address or personal details
• want to cancel future payments
• want to return a payment

Report any change of circumstances as soon as possible - for example, if you stop getting a benefit, move house or move into a care home. These can affect how much Winter Fuel Payment you get.

If you cancel your payments, you can change this at any time.

Contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre

When you contact the payment centre, you’ll need to tell them your personal details like:

• your name
• your address
• your date of birth
• your National Insurance number

You can either call the helpline or send a letter by post.

If you’re in the UK

If you’re outside the UK

If you’ve been paid too much

You may have to repay the money if you:

• did not report a change straight away
• gave wrong information
• were overpaid by mistake

Find out how to repay the money you owe from benefit overpayment.