Quick summary
Cold homes cause falls, chest infections and hospital admissions. For winter 2026 to 2027 the Winter Fuel Payment is £100 to £300, paid automatically to households with someone born on or before 27 June 1960, and recovered by HMRC from anyone with taxable income over £35,000. Several other schemes are worth claiming alongside it.
Why cold matters more than discomfort
A cold house is not just unpleasant. Cold stiffens joints and slows reactions, which makes a stumble more likely to become a fall. It raises blood pressure and puts strain on the heart, and it makes chest infections more likely.
There is a specific risk for anyone who falls and cannot get up: a cold floor pulls heat out of a still body quickly, and hypothermia is one of the recognised harms of a long period on the floor. In older stone properties around Wincle, Meerbrook, Longnor and the High Peak villages, with flagged floors and solid walls, that is a real winter planning issue.
Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026 to 2027
The rules have changed twice in three years, so here is the current position.
Question | Answer |
|---|---|
Who gets it | People born on or before 27 June 1960, normally living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland |
How much | £100 to £300, depending on age and who else in the household is eligible |
Qualifying week | 21 to 27 September 2026 |
Do I need to claim | Usually no. Most people are paid automatically |
When it arrives | Letters in October or November, payment November or December 2026 |
Income test | Paid to everyone eligible, then recovered in full by HMRC from anyone with taxable income over £35,000 |
If it has not arrived | Contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 731 0160 if nothing by 27 January 2027 |
Two details that catch people out. The £35,000 threshold is tested per person, not per household, so in a couple one partner can keep the payment while the other has it recovered. And it is a cliff edge: someone on £35,001 loses the whole amount.
Scotland has a separate scheme, the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. Source: Age UK.
The other schemes to claim
- Warm Home Discount. A rebate on the electricity bill for eligible households, usually applied automatically where you receive certain benefits. Check with your energy supplier.
- Cold Weather Payment. Paid for each qualifying period of very cold weather, for people on certain benefits including Pension Credit.
- Pension Credit. The gateway to several of the above, and around 880,000 eligible households do not claim it. See our guide to getting an assessment and the Pension Credit article for the sequence.
- Attendance Allowance. Not means-tested, £76.70 or £114.60 a week from April 2026, and plenty of people spend it on heating.
- The Priority Services Register. Free, from your energy supplier and network operator. It gets you priority in a power cut, advance notice of planned interruptions and help with meter readings. Anyone of pensionable age, with a disability, or who relies on powered medical equipment can join.
- ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme grants for insulation and heating improvements, via your energy supplier or the council.
What actually keeps an old house warm
Advice for a 1930s semi does not work for a stone cottage. These are the ones that make the difference:
Heat the person, then the room, then the house. In a house that is expensive to heat throughout, warm one room properly and spend the day in it. A throw, a hot water bottle and warm layers do more per pound than raising the thermostat everywhere.
Aim for around 18°C in the rooms being used. Get a cheap room thermometer, because people acclimatise to cold and stop noticing it, which is exactly why families find houses colder than the person living there thinks they are.
Deal with draughts before anything else. Letterbox, keyhole, gaps under doors, unused chimneys, floorboards. Cheap, quick and effective in old properties.
Heavy curtains, closed at dusk. Single glazing loses a great deal of heat, and lined curtains are cheaper than windows.
Warm the bed, not the bedroom. An electric blanket costs pennies to run. Check it is not damaged and not more than ten years old.
Warm floors where falls happen. A mat in the bathroom and kitchen makes a real difference if someone falls down.
Hot food and drinks through the day. Soup, porridge, tea. Someone who is not eating enough will feel the cold more, which is covered in our piece on signs a parent is struggling at home.
Move about. Getting up every hour keeps circulation going, and the balance exercises in our falls guides can be done beside a warm radiator.
The things to check on a winter visit
- Is the heating actually on?
- Is the boiler serviced? A breakdown in January is a crisis.
- Is there a carbon monoxide alarm? Particularly with older boilers, gas fires or solid fuel.
- Is the meter topped up, if prepayment?
- Are they on the Priority Services Register?
- What happens if the power goes off? Torch, blankets, a charged phone and a neighbour who checks.
- Has the flu jab been done, and the COVID booster if offered?
Local help
- Cheshire East Council’s Live Well directory lists local energy and warmth schemes, and adult social care is on 0300 123 5010.
- Age UK Cheshire East for benefits checks and practical help.
- Citizens Advice for energy debt and supplier problems.
- For Buxton and Whaley Bridge, Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190. For Leek, Biddulph and Kidsgrove, Staffordshire Cares on 0300 111 8010. Our council guide explains which does what.
Frequently asked questions
Who gets the Winter Fuel Payment in 2026?
People born on or before 27 June 1960 who normally live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. It is paid automatically, then recovered by HMRC from anyone whose taxable income exceeds £35,000.
Do I have to claim it?
Usually not. If you have never had it before, or have deferred your State Pension, you may need to make a claim.
What if my income is over £35,000?
You still receive it, and HMRC recovers it through the tax system, usually via your tax code. You can opt out for future years if you would rather not receive and repay it.
How warm should the house be?
Around 18°C in occupied rooms is the usual guidance, and warmer if someone is unwell or very frail. Check with a thermometer rather than by how it feels.
She says she is not cold. Should I worry?
Possibly. People acclimatise and stop noticing cold, and some are worried about the bill and will not say. A thermometer and a look at the meter tell you more than the question does.
What is the Priority Services Register?
A free service from energy suppliers and network operators giving extra support to older and vulnerable customers, including priority in a power cut. Ring the supplier and ask to be added.
About Visiting Angels Cheshire East
Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides care at home across Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton, Alsager and the surrounding villages of East Cheshire, along with Buxton, Whaley Bridge and the Staffordshire Moorlands towns, including the moorland villages where winter is hardest.
- No visit is ever shorter than an hour, which is enough time to make sure the heating is on and a hot meal is actually eaten.
- You see the same faces. Our carer turnover is 12 per cent, against a sector figure of 23.7 per cent (Skills for Care, 2025), and the same carer notices a house that is colder than last week.
- You choose your caregiver, and meet them before care starts.
- We get to the villages. Rounds are built around the geography, including in bad weather.
- Carers trained in dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke recovery and complex care.
Jude’s mother Joyce is 100 and lives by herself:
“Joyce lives by herself and we needed a care provider that could give us the same carer most visits. Visiting Angels have been able to accommodate this, which is very helpful. They know her routine and have built up a rapport with my Mum. Understanding the details of her routine is an important part of her care and wellbeing. I trust them with keys, security and being with Mum to, cook, sit and talk and give tablets etc etc..”
Jude Burton, Google review
Not sure what you need yet? Start with a free assessment
Our free home care assessment is a visit at a time that suits you, with no obligation afterwards. In it we will:
- Work out what is actually difficult, which in winter is often the cold house rather than the person.
- Talk through a realistic package, and what it would cost.
- Look at the money with you, including Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit and the heating schemes above.
- Tell you honestly if a benefits check and some draught excluder would do more, because in some houses they would.
If you are worried about someone getting through the winter, call us on 01625 720157. You can also send an enquiry, and you can see what our services cover.
Authored by Dr Haroon Ahmad, Managing Director, Visiting Angels Cheshire East.
Published 27 September 2026. Last updated 27 September 2026.
This article is general information about benefits and keeping warm, not financial or medical advice. Winter Fuel Payment rules have changed repeatedly and the position described applies to winter 2026 to 2027; check GOV.UK or Age UK for the current position. Have heating appliances serviced by a qualified engineer and fit a carbon monoxide alarm. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GB Care at Home Ltd accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this article.
