This week is the most important seven-day period of the year for state pensioners who are looking to lock down their Winter Fuel Payment for this coming winter.
Known as the Qualifying Week, the period from September 15 to 21 is the timeframe in which the DWP measures and checks eligibility for the cash payments of up to £300.
But couples who live together may see their Winter Fuel Payment cash cut in half thanks to a DWP rule.
This year, Winter Fuel Payments are universal again after the unpopular decision to tie them to Pension Credit was scrapped. Instead, the £200 cash payments (or £300 for over-80s) will be sent to nearly all pensioners, with the money reclaimed in tax from those earning more than £35,000.
But not all state pensioners will get the full amount, even if they earn less than the £35,000 threshold, thanks to some little-known DWP rules governing the payouts which will be applied this week.
Effectively, if you’re looking to get your Winter Fuel Payment for 2025-26, but you live with another state pensioner who also qualifies for the cash, then you will only receive a cut-down amount.
According to the DWP, if you’re aged 80 or over and you don’t live with someone else who qualifies for a payment, you’ll get the full £300. You don’t have to live alone, just not with someone else who qualifies.
But if you’re over 80 and live with another state pensioner who gets a WFP, your amount will be cut by £100 down to £200. And if the other person you live with is also an over-80 state pensioner who qualifies, you’ll only get £150 instead of £300, cutting your payment in half. The same would be true for the other person, they too would only get £150 instead of £300 due to your eligibility.
The same rules apply to under-80 state pensioners who qualify. If you live with someone else who qualifies for a payment, you’ll only get £100 instead of £200.
Age UK explains: “If you are 80 years old or older, you will receive:
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£300 if you do not live with anyone else who qualifies for a payment
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£200 if you live with someone else who is under 80 years old and qualifies for a Winter Fuel Payment themselves
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£150 if you live with someone who qualifies and is also 80 or older
“If you are under the age of 80, you will receive:
Payment eligibility is assessed this week but the decision is automatic and you do not need to apply. You will then receive a letter from the DWP in October or November and the payment will follow in November or December.
If you don’t receive the payment by January 2026, you can contact the Winter Fuel Payment hotline on 0800 7310160 to chase the cash.
