UK Alters Winter Fuel Payment Eligibility Rules

The UK government has reversed its plan to scrap the universal Winter Fuel Payment, instead introducing a means-tested system for pensioners with taxable incomes of £35,000 or below. Approximately 288,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland and nine million across England and Wales will receive payments ranging from £100 to £300 this winter, with the amount varying by age and household circumstances. Pensioners with incomes above £35,000 will initially receive the payment but will have it reclaimed via HMRC unless they opt out. In Scotland, the payment has been replaced by the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, issued automatically by Social Security Scotland. Around two million higher-income pensioners will no longer be eligible under the new threshold. The changes have drawn criticism for causing confusion and anxiety among older people.