State pensioners who lost £300 Winter Fuel Payment will be paid £58 each

Changes to the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility mean that 10 million pensioners, including 850,000 in Scotland will miss out on the annual heating bill help worth between £100 and £300.

State pensioners who lost the £300 Winter Fuel Payment will be paid £58 each. Changes to the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility mean that 10 million pensioners, including 850,000 in Scotland will miss out on the annual heating bill help worth between £100 and £300.

But some people in Scotland will be due a one-off payment of £58.75 from mid-December, called the Winter Heating Payment. The payment will be made automatically to people on income related benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

This includes Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Related Employment Support Allowance or Support for Mortgage Interest. Discussing the axed Winter Fuel Allowance, one claimant told the Guardian newspaper: "I’ve been receiving the winter fuel payment since I retired in my 60s.

READ MORE Martin Lewis issues update on Ofgem rule change which could cut bills by £100

"But my weekly income from my full state pension and a very small occupational pension takes me over the threshold for pension credit. I’ve regularly checked if I can get pension credit but have always been a few pounds over. This will be the first time I won’t receive the winter fuel payment.

"I’m worried how the cold will affect my mental and physical health. I live in an uninsulated rented cottage and receive housing benefit to help. I’m already wearing a thermal vest and all my winter clothes – in truth, I can’t afford to put the heating on."

You'll automatically get the single payment between December and February. This does not depend on how cold it is. You'll get a letter or an email from Social Security Scotland telling you it's coming. It appears as 'WHP' on your bank statement, WHP stands for Winter Heating Payment.

If your data does not automatically result in a payment, a Social Security Scotland will: look at your data again, consider whether you are eligible or not, pay you if you are eligible or write to you to explain their decision.