The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed the groups of state pensioners who will not be eligible for the £300 Winter Fuel Payment.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has outlined the groups of state pensioners who will not be eligible for the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance, with six categories of people failing to qualify. Those residing outside England and Wales are ineligible, as are those who were hospitalised and receiving free treatment for the entire week of 15-21 September 2025, and for the full year prior.
Ineligibility also applies to individuals requiring permission to enter the UK, whose visa or leave to remain stipulates that they cannot claim public funds. Those who were incarcerated during the week of 15 to 21 September 2025 will not qualify. Individuals who have been living in a care home since 23 June 2025 or earlier, will not be eligible, reports the Liverpool Echo.
If you reside in a care home and receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), you will also not receive the payment.
This announcement comes as Ofgem confirms another hike in energy bills, although there are ways to mitigate these costs. Help is available for those struggling to pay their gas and electricity bills.
The Ofgem energy price cap is set to increase from £1,720 a year to £1,755 for the average dual fuel household paying by direct debit from October, according to Birmingham Live. DWP’s Winter Fuel Payments are cash payments worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80.
The payments usually begin in November and are sent to pensioners born before 22 September 1959. Even if your income surpasses £35,000, you’ll still get the payment, but it will be reclaimed through taxation.
You do have the choice to refuse the payment altogether. The income threshold is determined on an individual basis.
For example, if you earn £30,000 a year and your partner earns £40,000, one of you would keep their share of the Winter Fuel Payment while the other would have to repay it.
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