Benefits and statutory pay
Pensioners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have until 11.59pm on 20 September to opt out of the Winter Fuel Payment; Scotland has until 19 October.
20 September Opt-out deadline
The Winter Fuel Payment is a payment towards heating bills, made by the Department for Work and Pensions and confirmed for Northern Ireland by the Department for Communities. Most people do not apply for it — it arrives.
If your total income for the tax year is over £35,000, HMRC takes the payment back, and the only way to stop it arriving at all is to opt out by 11.59pm on 20 September 2026. By phone, on 0800 731 0160, the window shuts earlier: 6pm on 18 September.
You qualify if you were born on or before 27 June 1960 and live in the UK during the qualifying week, 21 to 27 September 2026. GOV.UK says most eligible people will be paid in November or December 2026, after a letter in October or November saying how much they will get.
What it is worth:
| Your situation | Born 28 September 1946 to 27 June 1960 | Born before 28 September 1946 |
|---|---|---|
| Living alone | £200 | £300 |
| In a care home | £100 | £150 |
Couples living together get different amounts again, depending on both birth dates and whether either of you claims a qualifying benefit.
HMRC recovers the money by changing your tax code, or by adding it to your Self Assessment return if you already file one. Its policy paper gives a worked example: for a typical £200 payment, about £17 a month off a PAYE taxpayer in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. In 2027 to 2028 that roughly doubles, to about £33 a month, because two years are collected at once, before settling back to about £17 from 2028 to 2029.
So the two branches are narrow. Do nothing, and the money lands this winter; if you are over £35,000 it comes back out later through tax, and if you are under it you keep every pound. Opt out, and nothing lands and nothing is recovered.
Three things are worth knowing before you decide.
The £35,000 is individual income, not household. Two people on £30,000 each are both under it. GOV.UK puts it directly: “Your partner’s income does not count towards your total.” The policy paper says the test uses “the individual’s total income, as defined in Section 23 of the Income Tax Act 2007”.
It is income across a whole tax year. A maturing bond, a drawdown withdrawal or a late payment from a former employer can move you across the line weeks after you decide.
Opting out is not a one-year decision. GOV.UK says: “You do not need to opt out every year. You will not receive the Winter Fuel Payment in future years unless you opt in again.” To undo it in time for this winter, you would need to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre before 31 March 2027.
Scotland is a different scheme on a different clock. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is paid by Social Security Scotland, is worth between £105.55 and £316.70 this winter, and its online opt-out form stays open until midday on 19 October 2026 — a month after the deadline everywhere else. Social Security Scotland says you can still opt out by calling them after the form closes. The £35,000 recovery rule works the same way, and mygov.scot states plainly that it “only applies to individual incomes, and not joint incomes over £35,000”. Scottish residents who opt out can ask to opt back in for this winter up to 31 March.
Doing nothing does not lose you the payment. It changes when you hold the money, and whether your tax code moves. Opting out ends it until you ask for it back.
Every figure traces to a dated document — the line this section is named after. If one here is wrong, tell us and it gets fixed publicly. Work out your own figures.