Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Not Addressed
2024/25 Winter Fuel Payment eligibility poorly targeted, while 2025/26 reforms are welcomed
Conclusion
For winter 2024/25, the Government linked eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment to receipt of Pension Credit. This removed the payment from many who needed it and set the bar for continued payment too low. Up to 760,000 pensioner households do not claim Pension Credit that they are entitled to, and many just above the Pension Credit threshold, for whom this was an addition to the list of passported benefits they miss out on, felt the impact was unfair. We welcome the Government’s decision to make payments automatically to all pensioners in winter 2025/26, recovering it via HMRC from people with incomes of over £35,000. This will mean the payment gets to those who need it. (Conclusion, Paragraph 78)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government notes the committee's comments but responds by outlining its statutory duties regarding equality, steps to strengthen analysis, and its ongoing work on safeguarding from a separate report, without addressing the specific observations about Winter Fuel Payment eligibility.
Government Response
The government responded to this report on 10 November 2025. No passage in that response could be matched to this conclusion. Read the response document ↗