September deadline to opt out of winter fuel payment
Pensioners whose income is over £35,000 have only days left to opt out of the 2026/27 Winter Fuel Payment and avoid having it recovered through the tax system. What do you need to know?
For pensioners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the deadline for opting out online is 11:59pm on 20 September 2026. Anyone wishing to opt out by telephone must do so by 6pm on 18 September. The payment is normally made automatically, but where an individual’s income exceeds £35,000 HMRC will recover it through their tax code or Self-Assessment return. Opting out can therefore avoid receiving a payment that will simply have to be repaid later. A spouse or partner’s income is not taken into account when applying the £35,000 threshold.
There is an important longer-term effect. Once someone opts out, they will not receive future Winter Fuel Payments unless they opt back in. Anyone who opted out last year therefore does not need to opt out again, while someone who changes their mind can opt back in for winter 2026/27 up to 31 March 2027.
Different arrangements apply in Scotland, where the Winter Fuel Payment has been replaced by the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. The online opt-out deadline in Scotland is midday on 19 October 2026. The same £35,000 income threshold applies for HMRC recovery of the payment.
Pensioners who know that their income will exceed £35,000 should therefore consider whether opting out is simpler than receiving the payment and having HMRC recover it later.
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