If you were born before 22 September 1959 and live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you may be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) of between £100 and £300 this coming winter (2025–26). Payments will be made in November or December 2025.
However, there’s a catch: if your income exceeds £35,000 in the tax year to 5 April 2026, HMRC will recover the WFP.
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PAYE taxpayers: Recovery usually happens automatically via your tax code in the 2026–27 tax year. For example, a typical £200 WFP would see around £17 per month deducted between April 2026 and March 2027.
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Self-assessment taxpayers: HMRC will automatically add the WFP to your 2025–26 return, and recovery will be collected as part of the balancing payment due 31 January 2027.
HMRC has launched a new online tool so you can check whether, and how, the clawback will apply to you.
If you expect to exceed the income threshold, you can opt out of receiving the WFP altogether — but this must be done by 15 September 2025.
For more details, including how to opt out, visit: gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment