Pension Age Winter Heating Payment Scotland 2026/27

What to have ready when applying:

• Your National Insurance number
• Bank account details for payment
• Details of any qualifying benefits you currently receive

How much is Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland in 2026/27?

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is £105.55–£316.70 per year in 2026/27 following a 3.8% CPI uplift from April 2026. It is paid annual.

Who administers Pension Age Winter Heating Payment?

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is administered by Social Security Scotland. You can apply online at mygov.scot, by phone on 0800 182 2222, or by requesting a paper form.

Is Pension Age Winter Heating Payment available in England?

No — if you live in Scotland you cannot get the UK Winter Fuel Payment; PAWHP replaces it. The two schemes now mirror each other: England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay £100–£300 for winter 2026/27 with the same 27 June 1960 date-of-birth cut-off, the same 21–27 September qualifying week and the same £35,000 income recovery rule. Scotland's bands (£105.55–£316.70) are 3.8% higher because Social Security Scotland uprates them with inflation each April, while the UK amounts are fixed.

How often is Pension Age Winter Heating Payment paid?

Paid once a year. For winter 2026/27, Social Security Scotland sends a letter from November 2026 saying how much you will get, then pays it into the same account as your State Pension (or your Social Security Scotland benefits) from November 2026 and through the winter. Look for 'PAWHP' in the bank reference. If nothing has arrived by the start of March 2027, contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.

When is the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment paid in 2026?

Payments for winter 2026/27 start in November 2026 and continue through the winter. You get a letter first telling you the amount, then the money goes into the account your State Pension is paid to, with 'PAWHP' in the reference. If you have not been paid by the start of March 2027, contact Social Security Scotland.

Do pensioners in Scotland get the Winter Fuel Payment?

Not under that name. The DWP does not pay Winter Fuel Payment to anyone living in Scotland — Social Security Scotland pays the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead, to the same age group (born on or before 27 June 1960) at £105.55–£316.70 rather than the UK £100–£300.

What happens if my income is over £35,000?

You are still paid, but HMRC recovers the full amount — through a change to your PAYE tax code, or through your Self Assessment return if you file one. The test is your own total income for the tax year, not your household's, so a couple where one partner is over the threshold and the other is under it keeps the lower earner's payment. If you would rather not receive it at all, opt out online or by phone before midday on 19 October 2026.

Do I need to apply for the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment?

Almost never. Social Security Scotland pays it automatically using State Pension and benefit records. You only need to apply if you have deferred your State Pension since you were last paid, or you are of pension age but your partner is the one claiming a joint benefit and is under State Pension age. Call 0800 182 2222 or request a paper form. Applications for winter 2026/27 had not opened when we checked mygov.scot on 13 September 2026 (the 2025/26 window is closed); late applications are considered where there is a good reason.

We are a couple on Pension Credit or Universal Credit — do we both get it?

No — a couple with a joint award of Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Income Support gets ONE shared payment, paid to the main person on the DWP benefit into the account the benefit goes to: £211.15 if you were both born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, £316.70 if either of you was born before 28 September 1946. If only one of you has reached State Pension age, the money goes to that person — and if the benefit claimant is the younger partner, the pension-age partner has to apply rather than being paid automatically.

What if I live with someone else who is also eligible?

Two eligible people in one household without a joint benefit award get the shared rate each: £105.55 if you were born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960, £158.35 if you were both born before 28 September 1946. The one asymmetry: someone born before 28 September 1946 who lives with an eligible person under 80 gets £211.15, while the under-80 gets £105.55. If you get Pension Credit or another qualifying benefit on your own (not jointly), you are paid the living-alone rate — £211.15 or £316.70 — even with someone eligible in the house.

I live in a care home — do I still get the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment?

It depends on when you went in and what else you get. If you moved into residential care (a care home, or a hospital that is not part of the NHS) before 29 June 2026 and were there for the whole qualifying week, you get £105.55 (born 28 September 1946 to 27 June 1960) or £158.35 (born before 28 September 1946) — unless you also got Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Income Support during that week, in which case you are not eligible at all. If you went into care on or after 29 June 2026, the payment is based on your situation before you moved. Someone who spent the whole qualifying week and the 52 weeks before it in hospital on free NHS treatment, or the whole week in custody under a court sentence, is not eligible.

Can I opt out, and what happens if I do?

Yes — online until midday on 19 October 2026, or by phone at any time. Opting out is not a one-winter choice: you will not be paid in any future year unless you contact Social Security Scotland and opt back in, which you can do for the current winter until 31 March (a later request is only accepted with a good reason). If you opt out after a decision has already been made on this winter's payment, you still get it this year and drop out from winter 2027/28. Anyone who opted out of the UK Winter Fuel Payment through the DWP is treated as opted out here too, and has to phone Social Security Scotland to opt in.

How does HMRC take the payment back if my income is over £35,000?

You are paid first — Social Security Scotland does not means-test at source — and HMRC recovers the full amount afterwards, through a change to your PAYE tax code or through your Self Assessment return if you file one. The test is your own total income for the tax year, not your household's, so a couple where one partner is over £35,000 and the other is under keeps the lower earner's payment. If you would rather not be paid and clawed back, opt out before midday on 19 October 2026.

What should I do if my circumstances change, or the payment has not arrived?

Report a change as soon as it happens — stopping a qualifying benefit, moving house or moving into a care home can all change the amount, and Social Security Scotland can ask for money back if you were overpaid because a change was not reported. If you think you should have been paid and nothing has arrived by the start of March 2027, contact Social Security Scotland: free on 0800 182 2222 (from outside the UK, +44 1382 931 000), by webchat, or by post to Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, PO Box 10326, Dundee DD1 9HB.