Monday alert as '6 groups' won't get Winter Fuel Payment over 'qualifying week' rule

People hoping to get a boost of up to £300 this winter have been told of the rules as ‘qualifying week’ starts - which will decide if people get any money. The Winter Fuel Payment will be crucial this year as residents face soaring bills due to the middle east conflict.

Pensioners eligible for the payment get a tax-free lump sum of between £100 and £300 given by the UK government to help older people pay their heating bills during the winter. The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 21 to 27 September 2026.

This means from today (Monday, Sept 21) people need to be fulfilling certain criteria - or they won’t get the money. If successful they will get a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get, if they’re eligible.

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you were born on or before 27 June 1960 and usually live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. But Department for Work and Pensions officials have confirmed there are four groups of people who will not get the winter fuel payment in 2026 even if they were born in time. If taxable income is over £35,000, the payment is recovered through the tax system.

However there are actually four groups of people who will not be eligible if they were born here and meet the cash and age criteria.

You can get Winter Fuel Payment if you live in a care home. You will not be eligible if both of the following apply:

The energy Price Cap is now predicted to soar by almost 25% in January, putting households under more pressure. Personal finance expert Martin Lewis has urged households sitting on standard variable tariffs to look at their options now, after the latest forecasts pointed to another major rise in energy bills . It would mean an extra £427 or so added to the £1,723 energy price cap coming in October, taking it to £2,150.

Martin Lewis said: "I'm afraid it's now predicted the energy Price Cap will rise 24% in January. The Cap applies to all firms' standard tariffs (bar in N. Ireland), so if you're not on a fix or special deal, you, like most people, are on it.

"If you are on it, the safest thing to do is to fix, using a whole-of-market comparison such as MSE's CheapEnergyClub.com."

Speaking on his Money Show Live this week, Martin Lewis said: “I cannot say fixing if you’re on the price cap will definitely save you, but it is absolutely the risk-averse thing to do. If you are on the cap and you are worried about prices changing I can’t give you tariffs because at the moment they’re changing throughout the day.

“Do not just do your own firms even you should go to do a whole of market comparison get on a comparison site whole of market means they don’t hide tariffs that don’t pay them there is one that doesn’t hide tariffs automatically I am not allowed to tell you which one it is on air if you go and use one that does hide tariffs go and look at the bottom of the page and it will say show all tariffs tiny tick show all tariffs.

“Make sure you do it. And remember, sorry to make this confusing.