People over State Pension age due up to £524 in one-off payments this year
People over State Pension age could be due a series of extra payments and energy bill help during the coming months from the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). There are four cash payments and one which is paid directly to energy suppliers, all worth up to £524.75 in additional support.
It's important to be aware that most of these payments will not be issued until later this year, but could be something to factor in now when working out household budgets nearer to Christmas - especially as energy bills typically increase significantly over the colder months due to higher usage.
Pension Age Winter Fuel Payment has now replaced the Winter Fuel Payment for all Scots pensioners. Everyone over the age of 66 will receive at least £100 from the Scottish Government this winter, those on Pension Credit will be due a higher payment of either £203.40 or £305.10, depending on their age.
New claims for Pension Credit made before September 22, which later turns out to be successful, will qualify for the higher rates of Pension Age Winter Fuel Payment.
That date is important because that will guarantee an automatic payment during the designated payment window, any made after that date until mid-December would be paid in arrears.
Winter Fuel Payment U-turn
On Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced more than 9 million pensioners in England and Wales will automatically receive this year's Winter Fuel Payment following a U-turn by the UK Government on its decision to restrict the annual heating allowance to pensioners in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit.
Payments of £200 for those aged between 66 and 79, or £300 for those aged 80 and over, will be issued automatically later this year to pensioners born before September 22, 1959.
Pensioners with an annual income of £35,000 or more will not be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. Those above the threshold will need to pay the money back either through PAYE or a Self Assessment tax return, however, an option to opt-out of the payment has also been announced, but no details have been confirmed yet.
It's unclear yet how this U-turn will affect 1.1m pensioners in Scotland now that Pension Age Winter Heating Payment has replaced Winter Fuel Payments north of the border.
Pension Credit
Nearly 1.4 million older people across Great Britain, including more than 125,000 living in Scotland, are currently receiving Pension Credit that could provide an average of £4,300 in extra support during the 2025/26 financial year.
Some older people think because they have savings or own their home they would not be eligible for the means-tested benefit, however, an award of just £1 per week is enough to unlock other support.
To use the Pension Credit calculator on GOV.UK to see if you should make a clam, you will need details of:
earnings, benefits and pensions
savings and investments
Financial help for pensioner households in 2025
Financial help on the way during 2025/26 includes:
Winter Heating Payment (£59.75) - cash payment issued by the Scottish Government
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (£100 - £305) - cash payment issued by the Scottish Government
Winter Fuel Payment (£100 - £300) - cash payments issued by DWP to pensioners in England and Wales only
Warm Home Discount (£150) - paid directly from DWP to energy providers and usually added as credit to customer's electricity account
DWP Christmas Bonus (£10) - issued by DWP
Someone aged between 66 and 79, living in Scotland in receipt of Pension Credit, will receive £273.15 from the three cash payments before the end of March 2026. However, most of these will be issued before the end of this year.
This is made up of:
£203.40 from the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, due to be issued on November 30
£59.75 from the Winter Heating Payment
£10 DWP Christmas Bonus
Someone over 80, living in Scotland in receipt of Pension Credit, will receive £374.86 from the three cash payments before the end of March 2026.
This is made up of:
Winter Heating Payment (£59.75) - Scotland only
Payments were issued in December last year and expected to be around the same time in 2025.
You may qualify for Winter Heating Payment automatically if you get one of these benefits:
Pension Credit
Universal Credit - full guide on eligibility here
Income Support or Income based Jobseeker's Allowance - full guide on eligibility here
Income Related Employment Support Allowance - full guide on eligibility here
Support for Mortgage Interest - full guide on eligibility here
The qualifying week for this year's payment will be in early November, typically the first full week - we will update this article once more details have been released. Find out more on the dedicated pages on MYGOV.SCOT here.
Pension Age Winter Heating Payment - between£100 - £305.10
Every person over State Pension age living in Scotland will automatically receive a one-off heating payment of at least £100 by St Andrew's Day on November 30 - even if they are not in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit.
Those aged between 66 and 79 in receipt of Pension Credit will be paid £203.40
Those aged 80 and over in receipt of Pension Credit will be paid £305.10
To be eligible for the 2025 payment, you must have been born before September 22, 1959.
During the qualifying week - expected to be September 22-28 - you must also:
live in Scotland, or an eligible country abroad
get at least one other, specific benefit on at least one day of the qualifying week
Those benefits are:
Pension Credit
Universal Credit
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
Income Support
Payment rates
Those aged between 66 and 79 in receipt of Pension Credit will be paid £203.40
Those aged 80 and over in receipt of Pension Credit will be paid £305.10
Winter Fuel Payments - between £200 and £300 (not Scotland)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that the 2025/26 Winter Fuel Payment will be issued to everyone born before September 22, 1959.
Payments of £200 will be issued automatically to those aged between 66 and 79, while those aged 80 or over will receive £300. Nobody needs to claim the payment.
Pensioners also need to have an annual income of under £35,000 to qualify for the payment this winter. Details of an option to opt out of the payments will be announced in due course.
Full details on how much people will receive from DWP - depending on their household age and living arrangements - will be published by the DWP on GOV.UK here shortly.
Warm Home Discount - £150 paid to energy provider
The Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2025 to 2026 usually opens in October and will give people on certain benefits £150 off their electricity bill.
The money is paid directly by the DWP to energy suppliers between October and March. Eligible households may also be able to get the discount off their gas bill instead - if their supplier provides them with both gas and electricity, just contact them once the scheme opens to find out.
If you're a credit customer the £150 will be added to your electricity account and if you're on Pay As You Go or Prepayment, you'll be sent a voucher that you can use to top-up your meter.
Eligibility rules are changing this year to provide the support to more households - you can read about this here.
DWP Christmas Bonus - £10
The bonus is a one-off, tax-free £10 payment made to people in receipt of State Pension or those claiming certain other benefits during the qualifying week - usually the first full week of December.
Nobody needs to apply for the extra £10 as it should automatically go into the account where you usually receive your State Pension or benefit payment. It is made as a separate payment, independent of your scheduled State Pension or benefit payment, so it may arrive on a different day.
Eligible benefits
Adult Disability Payment
Armed Forces Independence Payment
Attendance Allowance
Carer's Allowance
Carer Support Payment
Child Disability Payment
Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
Disability Living Allowance
Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
Mobility Supplement
Pension Credit - the guarantee element
Pension Age Disability Payment
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
War Widow's Pension
Widowed Mother's Allowance
Widowed Parent's Allowance
Widow's Pension
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