Most Winter Heating Payments for winter 2025/26 will be made automatically from December 2025, according to guidance published by the independent charity Turn2us and last reviewed on 21 October 20251. The payment is administered by Social Security Scotland and applies in Scotland only1.
The payment is £59.75 for winter 2025/261. Turn2us describes it as "a one-off, tax-free payment during the winter to help people with heating costs"1. It is a means-tested benefit, meaning eligibility depends on the amount of income and capital a household has, and it is not taxable1.
"A Winter Heating Payment does not count as income when working out your entitlement to other benefits."
The same point appears in both versions of the Turn2us guidance, so the treatment of the payment for other benefit calculations is consistent across the pages reviewed1.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Amount, winter 2025/26 | £59.751 |
| Nation | Scotland1 |
| Administered by | Social Security Scotland1 |
| Taxable | No1 |
| Benefit type | Means-tested1 |
| Payment timing | Most payments made automatically from December 20251 |
The guidance does not set out the full eligibility criteria, the qualifying benefits or the payment method in the pages reviewed, and no closing date for the 2025/26 payment has been reported1. The Winter Heating Payment is separate from the Winter Fuel Payment paid in other parts of the UK, and the two are compared in our guide to the Warm Home Discount vs Winter Fuel Payment. Households wanting to check whether they qualify can read who qualifies for the Winter Fuel Payment, and those weighing up heating system changes can read what heating system they can get under NISEP if they have oil heating. A wider list of support sits in the grants and schemes hub.
Why it matters for households
A £59.75 one-off payment covers a small share of a winter's heating bill, so it functions as a contribution towards costs rather than a substitute for them. Because it is means-tested, receipt depends on income and capital, and because it does not count as income for other benefits, it does not reduce entitlement elsewhere1. For a household in Scotland, the practical effect is a single automatic credit in most cases, with no application described in the guidance reviewed1. Energy independence at home rests mainly on the fabric of the property, the heating system and the tariff, none of which this payment changes; it offsets part of the cost of the energy already used.
What happens next
Payments are due to be made automatically from December 2025 for most recipients1. No further dates, eligibility detail or application process for winter 2025/26 has been reported in the guidance reviewed1.
Sources2 cited
- What is a Winter Heating Payment? | Turn2us, turn2us.org.uk
- What is a Winter Heating Payment? | Turn2us, turn2us.org.uk