Check if you need to claim

Most people get the Winter Fuel Payment automatically if they’re eligible.

You do not need to claim if you get any of the following:

  • State Pension
  • Pension Credit
  • Universal Credit
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Carer’s Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • Income Support
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • awards from the War Pensions Scheme
  • Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Industrial Death Benefit

If you do not get any of these, you need to claim if either of the following apply:

  • you’ve not got the Winter Fuel Payment before
  • you’ve deferred your State Pension since your last Winter Fuel Payment

How to claim

You can claim Winter Fuel Payment by:

  • post - from 15 September 2025
  • phone - from 13 October 2025

The deadline for you to make a claim for winter 2025 to 2026 is 31 March 2026.

Claim by post

Fill in a Winter Fuel Payment claim form and send it to the Winter Fuel Payment Centre.

Winter Fuel Payment Centre
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 1LR

Claim by phone

Call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre to claim by phone.

Winter Fuel Payment Centre

Telephone: 0800 731 0160
Textphone: contact on 18001 then 0800 731 0160
British Sign Language (BSL) if you’re on a computer - find out how to

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

What to prepare before you call

Before you call, you will need to know:

  • your National Insurance number
  • your bank or building society details
  • the date you were married or entered into a civil partnership (if appropriate)

Payments cannot be made into a National Savings and Investments (NS&I) account unless you already get other benefits paid into the account.

You’ll also need to say whether during the qualifying week of 15 to 21 September 2025 you were:

  • in hospital getting free in-patient treatment
  • in a residential care home or Ilford Park Resettlement Home
  • in prison

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.