State pensioners could have £300 taken from them.
Andy Burnham’s plans could hurt certain pensioners (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham and John Healey are poised to recover £300 from state pensioners who receive the Winter Fuel Payment – if their income exceeds £35,000. State pensioners earning above £35,000 annually will have approximately £33 deducted from their monthly tax payments as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recovers Winter Fuel Payments through adjustments to their tax codes.
The recovery mechanism was previously announced by former Labour Party Chancellor Rachel Reeves. However, now he is in No 11, it will fall to the new Chancellor to implement it. From November onwards, the payment will continue to be sent automatically to individuals aged 66 and above to assist with heating expenses. The key change is the introduction of a new income threshold. Those earning above £35,000 per year will no longer be eligible.
Rather than stopping payments at source, the government will initially pay everyone before recovering the funds from those exceeding the threshold via the tax system.
Approximately 2 million individuals are anticipated to be impacted, with the typical amount to be repaid reaching up to £300. That sum will not be withdrawn from bank accounts. Instead, HMRC will recoup it through taxation.
From 2027, the procedure will alter once more. HMRC intends to collect two payments during that year, one to recover overpaid support from 2026 and another in advance for the 2027 payment, meaning some individuals could face deductions of up to £600 throughout the year.
Pensioners could see their Winter Fuel Payment taken away (Image: Getty)
HMRC said: “For PAYE customers, for a typical payment of £200, we’ll deduct approximately £17 per month. In the 2027 to 2028 tax year, we’ll deduct approximately £33 per month for a typical payment of £200.
“This is because we’ll be collecting payments from 2026 and 2027. It will then return to approximately £17 per month for the 2028 to 2029 tax year.
“If you are confident that you will breach the £35,000 income threshold then you have the option to opt out of receiving the 2026 Winter Fuel Payment. Details of how to opt out can be found at gov.uk or mygov.scot from April 1, 2026. You’ll also be able to do this by phone or by post.”
State pension age latest as petition to get payments from 60 reaches major milestone
A petition has reached an important milestone as its deadline arrives today.
Your state pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension (Image: Getty)
A petition calling for the state pension to be paid to everyone from the age of 60 has reached a significant milestone. The petition is calling for a fundamental change to the current pension system, arguing that people should receive the state pension from their 60th birthday. It opened on February 10, 2026, and closes today, Monday, August 10. The petition, created by Denver Johnson, also calls for the payment to be linked to the National Living Wage.
Under the proposal, the state pension would be equivalent to 48 hours of work at the National Living Wage. The campaign calculates this at £610.08 a week, or around £31,724 a year. The petition says the payment should be available to all people aged 60, including those living overseas. The petition has now attracted 6,171 signatures at the time of writing.
The UK State Pension age is gradually increasing from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028 (Image: Getty)
The official Parliament petition page states that 10,000 signatures are required before the Government is obliged to respond. A petition reaching 100,000 signatures can be considered for debate in Parliament.
The petition states: “We want the Government to make the state pension available from age 60 and increase it to equal 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage. Hence from April 2026 a Universal State Pension should be £610.08 per week or about £31,724.16 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above.
“We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit not paid to all, while ever increasing the age of entitlement.
“We want reforms to the State Pension, so that it is available to all including expatriates, from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage, for security.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed the state pension age is rising for people born in two years. The state pension age has now started to rise from 66 in April 2026 and will reach 67 in April 2028.
The age at which people can claim their State Pension, however, depends on their date of birth.
The increase affects people born on April 6, 1960, onwards. For those born between April 6, 1960 and March 5, 1961, the State Pension age rises in monthly steps. This means some people will reach State Pension age at 66 years and one month, while some other individuals will have to wait until they are 66 years and 11 months. People born from March 6, 1961, onwards are currently due to reach State Pension age at 67.
The Government said about the increase in State Pension age: “The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The State Pension age for men and women will now increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
“The Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so that rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months.”
The State Pension age timetable according to the Pensions Act 2014
- April 6, 1960 – May 5, 1960 – 66 years and 1 month
- May 6, 1960 – June 5, 1960 – 66 years and 2 months
- June 6, 1960 – July 5, 1960 – 66 years and 3 months
- July 6, 1960 – August 5, 1960 – 66 years and 4 months
- August 6, 1960 – September 5, 1960 – 66 years and 5 months
- September 6, 1960 – October 5, 1960 – 66 years and 6 months
- October 6, 1960 – November 5, 1960 – 66 years and 7 months
- November 6, 1960 – December 5, 1960 – 66 years and 8 months
- December 6, 1960 – January 5, 1961 – 66 years and 9 months
- January 6, 1961 – February 5, 1961 – 66 years and 10 months
- February 6, 1961 – March 5, 1961 – 66 years and 11 months
- March 6, 1961 – April 5, 1977