Thousands of pensioners will see repayments for the Winter Fuel Payment begin this month, with some set to lose up to £300.
HM Revenue and Customs has confirmed that anyone with an income above £35,000 will have their winter 2025 payment reclaimed, affecting nearly two million people across the UK.
For many, the money will be taken back automatically through the tax system, meaning pensioners could see their monthly income reduced without taking any action.
Those on PAYE are expected to repay the amount through changes to their tax code from April 2026, while others will see it included in their Self Assessment returns.
A typical £200 payment will be recovered gradually, averaging around £17 per month, but those who received up to £300 could face a more noticeable drop in income over the year.
Even after all the shenanigans linking the Winter Fuel Payment to Pension Credit, there are, according to the govt's own figures still 900,000 of the very poorest pensioners (out of 2.3m eligible) missing out on the crucial Pension Credit income top up! It's not good enough…
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) April 14, 2026
HMRC has stressed that most people do not need to do anything to trigger repayment.
Myrtle Lloyd, chief customer officer at HMRC, said: “Criminals are great pretenders and often use fake letters, emails, calls and texts to impersonate HMRC and trick people into giving them money.
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"I’d encourage anyone who’s unsure to use our online tool at GOV.UK to check whether and how their payment will be recovered – there’s no need to call us.”
She added that the process is straightforward for most people, with repayments handled automatically through the system.
The rules apply nationwide, including in Scotland, where the benefit is known as the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, and in Northern Ireland, with all repayments managed by HMRC.
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