Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners who will exceed the £35,000 income threshold for receiving the Winter Fuel Payment, in each year from 2025 to 2030; and what estimate she has made of the annual financial yield resulting from that measure in each of those years.

On 9 June the Government announced that, from this winter 2025-26, Winter Fuel Payment eligibility will be expanded in England and Wales. Pensioners with incomes below or equal to £35,000 will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment.

This will mean that the vast majority of pensioners - over three quarters, or 9 million individuals - will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment throughout this parliament. This change ensures that the means-testing of winter fuel payments has no effect on pensioner poverty.

We estimate that around £450m per year will be recovered via the tax system or from individuals opting out of receiving the Winter Fuel Payment. This is subject to OBR certification when this policy is scored this Autumn.