Winter Fuel Payment and the £35,000 income limit
Updated 19 October 2026. Figures checked against official sources on 19 October 2026.
Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026 to 2027 is between £100 and £300, for anyone born on or before 27 June 1960. If your own total income is over £35,000, HMRC takes it back through your tax code or Self Assessment. A partner's income doesn't count towards yours.
Worked example
From 91, your income falls short of the £28,000 a year you want.
- Age now
- 64
- Retire at
- 65
- Pots
- £450,000
- Take-home wanted
- £33,000 a year
- Plan until
- 95
How much
- Living alone, or with nobody else who qualifies: £200, or £300 if you were born before 28 September 1946.
- Living with someone else who qualifies: less each, depending on both your ages.
- Living in a care home: £100, or £150 if you were born before 28 September 1946.
Why more people pay it back each year
The £35,000 limit doesn't rise with prices, but pensions and the state pension do. So an income that stays the same in today's money crosses the limit in cash terms sooner or later.
In a worked example, someone aged 64 taking £33,000 a year from 65: Winter Fuel Payment is taken back in years your own income is over £35,000 (your ages 68 to 88). The £35,000 limit doesn't rise with prices, so income can cross it in some years and not others, even when it stays the same in today's money.
In the calculator
The calculator marks the years your income is over the limit, at your own figures. Try the calculator with your own figures.
Questions people ask
Who gets Winter Fuel Payment in 2026?
For winter 2026 to 2027, anyone born on or before 27 June 1960. GOV.UK lists the exceptions. Most people are paid automatically.
Is my partner's income counted for the £35,000 limit?
No. The limit is on each person's own income.
How is Winter Fuel Payment taken back?
Through your tax code or, if you fill in a tax return, through Self Assessment. You can also opt out of receiving it.
Sources
Rates and rules were checked against these on 19 October 2026. Worked-example figures come from the calculator, using 2026/27 tax rules.