The Winter Fuel Payment reached 10.9 million pensioners in England and Wales in winter 2025 to 2026, according to DWP Official Statistics published on 15 September 2026. That is an increase of 9.6 million on winter 2024 to 2025, when payments were restricted to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits. The figures count DWP payments only. They exclude HMRC recoveries from pensioners with income over 35,000 pounds and exclude the 53,000 pensioners who opted out before payment. An HMRC impact assessment estimated 2.2 million pensioners, including Northern Ireland, would be affected by recoveries. For winter 2026 to 2027 the qualifying week is Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026, with payments of 200 pounds per household, or 300 pounds where someone is aged 80 or over.
TL;DR · LAST REVIEWED The Winter Fuel Payment reached 10.9 million pensioners in England and Wales in winter 2025 to 2026, according to DWP Official Statistics published on 15 September 2026. That is an increase of 9.6 million on winter 2024 to 2025, when payments were restricted to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits. The figures count DWP payments only. They exclude HMRC recoveries from pensioners with income over 35,000 pounds and exclude the 53,000 pensioners who opted out before payment. An HMRC impact assessment estimated 2.2 million pensioners, including Northern Ireland, would be affected by recoveries. For winter 2026 to 2027 the qualifying week is Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026, with payments of 200 pounds per household, or 300 pounds where someone is aged 80 or over.
- DWP Official Statistics published 15 September 2026 show 10.9 million Winter Fuel Payment recipients in England and Wales in winter 2025 to 2026.
- That is an increase of 9.6 million since winter 2024 to 2025, when payments went only to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits.
- The statistics exclude HMRC recoveries from pensioners with income over 35,000 pounds and exclude 53,000 pensioners who opted out.
- An HMRC impact assessment estimated 2.2 million pensioners, including Northern Ireland, would be affected by recoveries.
KEY FACTS
- Recipients, winter 2025-26: 10.9 million
- Change on 2024-25: +9.6 million
- Opted out: 53,000
- Estimated affected by HMRC recovery: 2.2 million
- Winter 2026-27 qualifying week: 21 to 27 September 2026
What the statistics show
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, 15 September 2026.
DWP Official Statistics for winter 2025 to 2026, published on 15 September 2026, record 10.9 million Winter Fuel Payment recipients in England and Wales. That is an increase of 9.6 million since winter 2024 to 2025. The scale of the rise reflects the change in eligibility rules between the two winters rather than a sudden change in the pensioner population. In winter 2024 to 2025 the payment went only to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits, following a July 2024 policy announcement. For winter 2025 to 2026 most pensioners in England and Wales born on or before 21 September 1959 received a payment, with income over 35,000 pounds recovered by HMRC.
The published total is best read alongside the winter it most closely resembles. Winter 2025 to 2026 is comparable to winter 2023 to 2024, when payments were made on broad age grounds, rather than to winter 2024 to 2025, when the means-tested restriction applied. The 10.9 million figure therefore describes a return to a wider recipient base, not an expansion beyond it. The statistics cover England and Wales. Pensioners living outside England and Wales, including EEA countries and Switzerland, were not eligible for winter 2025 to 2026. Scotland operates a separate payment, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, so its recipients are not counted in this release.
The clawback the figures leave out
The 10.9 million total counts DWP payments only. It does not show how many recipients later had money recovered through the tax system. Pensioners with income over 35,000 pounds had their Winter Fuel Payment recovered by HMRC, and those recoveries sit outside the DWP statistics. An HMRC impact assessment estimated 2.2 million pensioners, including Northern Ireland, would be impacted by recoveries. That estimate covers a wider geographical area than the DWP release, so it cannot be subtracted directly from the 10.9 million figure to produce a net recipient count. The two numbers answer different questions and are published by different departments.
The statistics also exclude pensioners who opted out before payment. DWP management information recorded 53,000 opt-outs for winter 2025 to 2026. Those pensioners chose not to receive a payment, so they do not appear as recipients. A further gap concerns how the figures are presented over time. The measure of the share of the pensioner population receiving Winter Fuel Payment, introduced for 2024 to 2025, is no longer published. Without that measure, the 10.9 million total cannot be expressed as a proportion of all pensioners using the same official series. The recipient count and the recovery estimate together describe gross payments and expected clawback, not the final position of every household.
Why the two winters are not comparable
Winter 2024 to 2025 and winter 2025 to 2026 rest on different eligibility rules, so the 9.6 million increase should not be read as a like-for-like change in take-up. A July 2024 policy announcement restricted the Winter Fuel Payment for 2024 to 2025 to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits. That restriction produced a much smaller recipient group. The rules for winter 2025 to 2026 restored payment to most pensioners, subject to recovery where individual income exceeded 35,000 pounds. The movement between the two years is therefore a change in the qualifying population, not a comparison of two years under the same test.
The removal of the pensioner-population share measure adds to the difficulty. That measure was introduced for 2024 to 2025 and is no longer published, so the published series does not carry a consistent proportion across the two winters. Anyone comparing the two years has to rely on the recipient counts and the stated eligibility rules. The 10.9 million figure belongs with winter 2023 to 2024 for trend purposes, while the 2024 to 2025 figure stands apart as the means-tested year. The statistics support a statement about how many payments DWP made in each winter. They do not, on their own, support a statement about how many pensioners gained or lost money once HMRC recoveries are taken into account.
What happens for winter 2026 to 2027
The qualifying week for winter 2026 to 2027 is Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026. Pensioners born on or before 27 June 1960 fall within the age condition. Payments are 200 pounds per household, rising to 300 pounds where someone is aged 80 or over. Payments are made automatically between November and December. As in winter 2025 to 2026, individual income over 35,000 pounds is recovered in full, either through the tax code or through Self Assessment. The recovery mechanism means the gross payment and the net position can differ for higher-income recipients.
Pensioners who do not wish to receive the payment can opt out. The deadline for opting out by phone on 0800 731 0160 is before 6pm on 18 September 2026. The deadline for opting out online is 20 September 2026. The payment covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland pays the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead. Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2026 to 2027 will be published on 21 September 2027. Until then, the 10.9 million figure for winter 2025 to 2026 remains the most recent official count of recipients in England and Wales, and it remains a count of DWP payments rather than a measure of final household outcomes after HMRC recoveries.
Source: DWP: Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2025 to 2026.
Related coverage on Kael Tripton: Winter Fuel Payment: Qualifying Week 21 to 27 September, Letters Follow, Winter Fuel Payment Opt-Out Deadline 2026: Key Facts, DWP Pension Credit Reviews: What You Are Asked For, Pension Credit 2026/27: Thresholds, Who Qualifies and How to Claim, Triple lock: what Tuesday's earnings figure means for the 2027 state pension.
RELATED GUIDES
- Winter Fuel Payment: Qualifying Week 21 to 27 September, Letters Follow
- Winter Fuel Payment Opt-Out Deadline 2026: Key Facts
- DWP Pension Credit Reviews: What You Are Asked For
- Pension Credit 2026/27: Thresholds, Who Qualifies and How to Claim
- Triple lock: what Tuesday's earnings figure means for the 2027 state pension
DISCLAIMER
Figures are from official statistics and press releases published on GOV.UK on 15 September 2026. Eligibility and payment rules are set by DWP and HMRC; check GOV.UK for individual circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
How many pensioners received the Winter Fuel Payment in winter 2025 to 2026?
DWP Official Statistics published on 15 September 2026 record 10.9 million Winter Fuel Payment recipients in England and Wales in winter 2025 to 2026. That is an increase of 9.6 million since winter 2024 to 2025.
Why did the number of recipients rise so much compared with winter 2024 to 2025?
In winter 2024 to 2025 the payment went only to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits, following a July 2024 policy announcement. For winter 2025 to 2026 most pensioners in England and Wales born on or before 21 September 1959 received a payment, with income over 35,000 pounds recovered by HMRC.
Do the 10.9 million figures include HMRC recoveries?
No. The statistics count DWP payments only and exclude HMRC recoveries. An HMRC impact assessment estimated 2.2 million pensioners, including Northern Ireland, would be impacted by recoveries.
Do the figures include pensioners who opted out?
No. The statistics exclude pensioners who opted out. DWP management information recorded 53,000 opt-outs for winter 2025 to 2026.
Which winter is comparable to winter 2025 to 2026?
Winter 2025 to 2026 is comparable to winter 2023 to 2024 rather than winter 2024 to 2025, because the 2024 to 2025 payment was restricted to pensioners qualifying for certain means-tested benefits.
