Winter 2026/27
Help with heating and bills this winter
Most winter help is paid automatically, but only if you are on the right benefit or reach the right age in time. Choose where you live to see what applies to you.
Checked 11 October 2026 against GOV.UK, Ofgem, Social Security Scotland and gov.scot. Amounts are for winter 2026/27.
Winter Fuel Payment
£100 to £300, paid automatically
If you were born on or before 27 June 1960 you could get between £100 and £300. A letter in October or November tells you how much, and most people are paid in November or December 2026. If your total income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
£105.55 to £316.70
This replaces the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland. You need to have reached pension age by the end of the qualifying week, 21 to 27 September 2026. Payments start later this year and continue through the winter. If your income is over £35,000 it is taken back through HMRC, or you can opt out before midday on 19 October 2026.
Scotland
Cold Weather Payment
£25 for each 7-day cold spell
If you get certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest, you get £25 for each 7-day period when the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below, between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2027. It is paid automatically. You do not need to apply.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Winter Heating Payment
£62.00, once for the winter
Scotland’s replacement for the Cold Weather Payment: one payment of £62.00 for winter 2026/27 for people on certain low-income benefits, whatever the weather.
Scotland
Warm Home Discount
£150 off your electricity bill
In England and Wales it is automatic if, on 23 August 2026, you got a qualifying means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or income-related ESA, and your name or your partner’s is on the electricity bill. In Scotland you may need to apply to your energy supplier. It is not available in Northern Ireland.
England, Wales and Scotland
Energy price cap
£1,723 a year for a typical home
From 1 October to 31 December 2026 the cap is £1,723 a year for a typical household using gas and electricity, up 4% (£60). The cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not your total bill, so using less still lowers what you pay. Ofgem usually announces the January to March level in late November.
England, Wales and Scotland
Behind on your energy bills
Payment plans and grants
Your supplier must work with you on an affordable way to pay, and energy trust funds can give grants to clear energy debt. Our guide lists them and what to say when you call.
All of the UK
Priority Services Register
Free extra help from your supplier
If you are of pension age, disabled, have a long-term health condition or young children, you can join your energy and water companies’ free registers for extra support, such as advance warning of planned power cuts.
All of the UK
Emergency help if you cannot heat or eat
Local crisis funds
In England, councils give emergency help through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which replaced the Household Support Fund in April 2026. Scotland has the Scottish Welfare Fund, Wales the Discretionary Assistance Fund and Northern Ireland Discretionary Support.
All of the UK
Crisis grants · Crisis and Resilience Fund · Find your council
Insulation and heating grants
ECO4 is due to close
Free or part-funded insulation and heating upgrades through ECO4 are due to end on 31 December 2026. If you might qualify, ask your energy supplier or council now rather than in the new year.
England, Wales and Scotland
Pension Credit
The key that opens most of this
If you are over State Pension age on a low income, Pension Credit tops up your income and can open the door to winter heating payments, the Warm Home Discount (not in Northern Ireland), help with council tax and a free TV licence at 75 or over. It can be backdated by 3 months, so claim as soon as you think you might qualify.
All of the UK
Christmas Bonus
£10, paid automatically in December
If you get State Pension or certain other benefits in the qualifying week in early December, a one-off £10 Christmas Bonus is paid with your usual payment. You do not need to claim it.
All of the UK
What to do now
- Check you are getting every benefit you are entitled to. Most winter help depends on it. Check what you could get
- If a payment you expected does not arrive, check the dates above first, then contact the office that pays it. Our guides say who to call.
- If you cannot pay now, tell your supplier before the debt grows and ask about local crisis help. Help with energy bills
Sources
- GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment
- GOV.UK: Cold Weather Payment
- GOV.UK: Warm Home Discount and the 2026 to 2027 eligibility statement (published 7 August 2026)
- Ofgem: energy price cap from 1 October 2026 (published 26 August 2026)
- Social Security Scotland: Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
- gov.scot: Winter Heating Payment 2026/27 (30 September 2026)
SortedUK is independent and is not a government body. Rules can change: confirm anything important with the official source.