Pension Age Winter Heating Payment: What you need to know

The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is important social security support which helps older people with the cost of energy and keep their homes warm.

The payment, which replaced the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland in 2024, is now worth between £105.55 and £316.70, depending on a person's circumstances, and most pensioners will receive it automatically this winter from Social Security Scotland.

This financial support makes a real difference during the colder months. Our research shows that energy bills remain one of the most challenging household expenses for pensioners on low and modest incomes. Last winter, it will have helped hundreds of thousands of older people feel more confident that they could afford to heat their homes and stay warm.

What’s new with the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment?

In previous years, everyone who received the State Pension was entitled to the old Winter Fuel Payment. But in 2024, as responsibility for delivering it in Scotland was being transferred to the Scottish Government, the UK Government changed who was eligible to receive it, so it only went to people receiving Pension Credit.

In 2025 its eligibility was expanded so everyone with a State Pension and an individual income of less that £35,000, including their State Pension, was entitled to it.

The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is paid directly by Social Security Scotland between December and March. It goes to everyone with a State Pension, even if your total income for the year is going to be over £35,000.

The vast majority of pensioners who receive it are entitled to keep it, and we want to make sure they do. However, if your individual income is more than £35,000 a year, including your State Pension, the payment will be recovered later by the Scottish Government through the tax system.

We are encouraging anyone who knows their individual income will be above the £35,000 threshold to consider opting out before the payment is made this winter. Doing so could save them unnecessary time and administration later, as the payment would otherwise need to be repaid through the tax system.

Income over £35,000? Consider opting out before 19 October

If you know your individual income will be more than £35,000 in this financial year, and likely to always be the case, you can choose to opt out of receiving the payment before it is made.

Opting out is quick, simple, and could help you avoid extra tax administration later. The online opt-out service is available until midday on 19 October 2026.