Thousands of pensioners could miss out on up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payment this year despite being old enough to qualify.
People born on or before June 27, 1960 meet the age requirement, but this alone does not guarantee they will receive or keep the payment.
Winter Fuel Payments are worth between £100 and £300 and are designed to help older people with their heating bills during winter 2026 to 2027.
Letters confirming eligibility are being sent throughout October and November, with most payments expected to be made automatically in November or December.
However, eligibility also depends on factors including where someone lives and their circumstances during the qualifying week, which ran from September 21 to 27.
Income can also play a part in determining whether, or not individuals will get the payments.
Pensioners with a total annual income above £35,000 may receive the payment automatically but will have it recovered through the tax system.
Joe Lytwyn, personal finance expert at thimbl, said: “Someone could meet the age requirement but still miss out because of where they normally live or their circumstances during the qualifying week.”
He added: “That distinction matters for anyone planning their winter budget. Being the right age should not be taken as confirmation that a payment is definitely on its way.”
How much someone receives can also depend on their living arrangements, including whether they live alone, with another eligible person or in a care home.
For those living alone or with nobody else who qualifies, the payment is £200 if they were born between September 28, 1946 and June 27, 1960.
Are you eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment? | GETTY
Those born before September 28, 1946 could receive the maximum £300 payment.
The figures drop when two eligible people share a household and neither receives Pension Credit, Universal Credit, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. In that scenario, each person could receive as little as £100.
Where one or both partners jointly claim one of those benefits, one of them will receive either £200 or £300, depending on their dates of birth.
Care home residents face reduced amounts. Eligible people born between 28 September 1946 and 27 June 1960 receive £100, while those born before 28 September 1946 get £150.
Crucially, the payment does not affect any other benefits a recipient may be claiming.
Letters confirming eligibility are being sent throughout October and November
| GETTY
Pensioners whose total income exceeds £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment clawed back by HMRC. Only the individual’s own income counts towards that threshold, not their partner’s.
HMRC recovers the money in one of two ways: by adjusting the recipient’s tax code or by adding the amount to their Self Assessment tax return. Either method could reduce someone’s monthly take-home pay or increase their tax bill.
Mr Lytwyn cautioned that this could catch people off guard.
Pensioners whose total income exceeds £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment clawed back by HMRC
| GETTY
“That could be confusing for someone who receives the payment automatically and assumes it is theirs to spend,” he said.
He also flagged the risk of overlapping recoveries. “Some recipients could also be repaying payments from two winters at the same time,” Mr Lytwyn warned.
Those simultaneous deductions could place additional strain on household budgets, particularly for people who had already factored the payment into their winter spending plans.