New winter heating payment of up to £300 for older people in Scotland to be issued by DWP

Eligibility for the devolved Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will be the same as the Winter Fuel Payment. Regulations laid in the Scottish Parliament last week will help ensure State Pensioners on qualifying means-tested benefits receive financial support with their energy bills this winter. The Scottish Government has confirmed it has ‘taken the difficult decision’ to replicate eligibility criteria for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) to align with Winter Fuel Payments .

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has agreed to deliver the devolved heating payment, which is replacing Winter Fuel Payments in Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government this year. The Scottish Government said that due to the pressure on timescales for delivery and the budgetary impact of the UK Government’s restriction of Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, it will not be ‘practicable or affordable to expand the eligibility criteria’. However, it added that the eligibility and scope of Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will be kept under review to ensure, where possible, that the impact of the benefit is maximised.

Initial analysis suggests that the caseload in Scotland will decrease by around 900,000 in 2024/25 based on current Pension Credit uptake, and will now provide support to more than 125,000 individuals in receipt of Pension Credit and other means-tested benefits. More than 1.1 million Scots pensioners received the payment last winter.

The revised Pension Age Win.