Pension Age Winter Heating Payment Calculator
Find out how much Pension Age Winter Heating Payment you should get in Scotland for winter 2026 to 2027. Answer a few questions about the week of 21 to 27 September 2026, and the tool applies the Social Security Scotland rules on age, who you live with, benefits and care homes.
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment calculator
Winter 2026 to 2027. Your situation in the qualifying week, 21 to 27 September 2026.
An estimate, not a decision by Social Security Scotland. Check with the official mygov.scot guide and eligibility checker.
What Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment helps people of State Pension age in Scotland with heating bills. It replaced the Winter Fuel Payment for people living in Scotland and is paid once a year by Social Security Scotland. Most people get it automatically, into the same account as their State Pension or other Social Security Scotland benefits, and receive a letter first. Letters for winter 2026 to 2027 are being sent from November 2026.
For winter 2026 to 2027 the payment is £211.15 if you were aged 66 years and 3 months to 79 in the week of 21 to 27 September 2026 and no one else eligible lived with you, or £316.70 if you were 80 or over. Two eligible people under 80 who live together, and do not get a qualifying benefit, get £105.55 each. If your own income is over £35,000, HMRC takes the payment back.
Who is eligible for winter 2026 to 2027
Social Security Scotland looks at your situation in one qualifying week, Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026. To be eligible you must have been born on or before 27 June 1960 and have lived in Scotland on at least the last day of that week. You are not eligible if you:
- were in hospital getting free treatment for the whole qualifying week and the 52 weeks before it
- were in custody under a court sentence for the whole qualifying week
- need permission to enter the UK and your leave says you cannot claim public funds
People who count as 80 or over for this winter were born before 28 September 1946.
How much you get
The amount depends on your age, whether someone else who is eligible lives with you, whether you or your partner get a qualifying benefit, and whether you live in residential care. The qualifying benefits are Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support.
| Your situation in the qualifying week | Aged 66 and 3 months to 79 | Aged 80 or over |
|---|---|---|
| You live alone, or no one you live with is eligible | £211.15 | £316.70 |
| You live with another eligible person and neither of you gets a qualifying benefit | £105.55 | £211.15 if they are under 80, or £158.35 if they are 80 or over |
| You get a qualifying benefit in your own name | £211.15 | £316.70 |
| You are a couple on a joint award of a qualifying benefit (one payment between you) | £211.15 | £316.70 if either of you is 80 or over |
| You live in residential care from before 29 June 2026 and get no qualifying benefit | £105.55 | £158.35 |
Amounts are from the Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 as up-rated for 2026 to 2027, and the mygov.scot scenarios. If you get a qualifying benefit, your partner is treated as getting it too. A couple on a joint award get one payment, which goes to the main person getting the benefit. If one of you has not reached State Pension age, it goes to the one who has.
Example. Margaret is 82 and lives with her husband John, who is 74. Neither gets a qualifying benefit. Margaret lives with an eligible person under 80, so she gets £211.15, and John lives with an eligible person, so he gets £105.55. Their household gets £316.70, the same as a single person aged 80 or over.
If your income is over £35,000
If your own total income is over £35,000, HMRC takes your Pension Age Winter Heating Payment back. It is based on individual income, not joint income. HMRC collects it by changing your tax code for 2027 to 2028, or by adding it to your 2026 to 2027 Self Assessment tax return. If you would rather not receive it, you can opt out. For this winter, the online opt-out form is open until midday on 19 October 2026, and you can also opt out by phone. If you opt out after a decision on your payment, you still get the payment for the current winter.
Care homes and hospitals
Residential care means a care home, or a hospital that is not part of the NHS. If you lived there for the whole qualifying week and went in before 29 June 2026, you get £105.55, or £158.35 if you are 80 or over. You are not eligible if you also got a qualifying benefit that week. If you went into care on or after 29 June 2026, your payment is worked out as if you were still at home.
When it is paid and whether you need to apply
Payments start from November 2026 and continue through the winter. Your bank statement shows a reference that includes PAWHP. If you have not been paid by the start of March 2027, contact Social Security Scotland. Most people do not need to apply. You might need to if you have deferred your State Pension since you were last paid this or the Winter Fuel Payment, or if you are a couple on a joint award of a qualifying benefit and the main person getting it is under State Pension age.
Other winter help in Scotland
- Winter Heating Payment is a separate £62.00 payment for people getting certain benefits in the week of 2 to 8 November 2026. Pension Credit counts with no other conditions. It is paid from December.
- Child Winter Heating Payment is £265.50 for each child or young person under 19 who gets the highest care rate of Child Disability Payment or Disability Living Allowance, or the enhanced daily living rate of Adult Disability Payment or Personal Independence Payment.
- In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Winter Fuel Payment applies instead. It is between £100 and £300 for winter 2026 to 2027.
If you are on a low income, check whether you could get Pension Credit, which also qualifies you for Winter Heating Payment.
This tool is a guide. Social Security Scotland decides your payment, and the mygov.scot checker and your letter are the official word.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Pension Age Winter Heating Payment for 2026 to 2027?
Between £105.55 and £316.70. It is £211.15 if you were 66 years and 3 months to 79 in the week of 21 to 27 September 2026 and no one else eligible lived with you, and £316.70 if you were 80 or over. People who share a home with another eligible person get £105.55, £158.35 or £211.15 depending on both ages, unless they get a qualifying benefit.
When is Pension Age Winter Heating Payment paid in 2026?
Payments start from November 2026 and continue through the winter. Letters are sent from November 2026, and the payment goes into the account your State Pension is paid into. If you have not been paid by the start of March 2027, contact Social Security Scotland.
What happens if my income is over £35,000?
You still get the payment unless you opt out, but HMRC takes it back through your 2027 to 2028 tax code or your 2026 to 2027 Self Assessment return. The limit is for your own income, not joint income. The online opt-out form for this winter is open until midday on 19 October 2026.
Do couples get one Pension Age Winter Heating Payment or two?
It depends on benefits. If neither of you gets a qualifying benefit, you each get your own payment based on both ages, for example £105.55 each if you are both under 80. If you get Pension Credit or another qualifying benefit as a joint award, only one payment is made for the couple: £211.15, or £316.70 if either of you is 80 or over.
Can I get the Winter Fuel Payment if I live in Scotland?
No. GOV.UK says people who live in Scotland cannot get the Winter Fuel Payment and might be eligible for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead.
Do I need to apply for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment?
Most people are paid automatically. You might need to apply if you have deferred your State Pension since your last winter payment, or if you are a couple on a joint benefit award and the main person getting the benefit is under State Pension age.