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Pension Age Winter Heating Payment: winter 2025 amounts don't follow SSI 2025/282, and the references cite the wrong SSI #2138

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@MaxGhenis

pawhp (variables/gov/social_security_scotland/pawhp.py, 2.120.0 and main) pays each Scottish household with someone over State Pension age:

  • £300 (amount.higher) or £200 (amount.lower) with a qualifying benefit, by whether anyone is 80 or over;
  • otherwise amount.base, £100 from 2025, whatever anyone's age.

That doesn't match the law from winter 2025. The Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (SSI 2024/351) are amended by the 2025 Amendment Regulations (SSI 2025/282). Regulation 9 of the 2025 Regulations substitutes regulation 10, which pays each entitled individual (2025 rates as made):

Lives alone Lives with another entitled individual
With a relevant benefit (reg 10(4)) £305.10 if they or their partner has reached 80, otherwise £203.40 (same)
No relevant benefit, under 80 (reg 10(5)) £203.40 £101.70 (also in residential care)
No relevant benefit, 80 or over (reg 10(6)) £305.10 £203.40 if the other is under 80, £152.55 if they are 80 or over

So:

  • the tier without a qualifying benefit has no £100 rate, and it has an age-80 rate;
  • amounts are per individual, with shared rates, rather than per household.

The current revised text on legislation.gov.uk already shows the next uprating (£316.70, £211.15, £105.55, £158.35).

Two more points:

  • The four pawhp parameter files cite SSI 2024/250. That is the Town and Country Planning (Amendment of Local Development Plan) (Scotland) Regulations 2024; the PAWHP regulations are SSI 2024/351.
  • Not checked here: whether any of the payment is recovered through tax at higher incomes, as the Winter Fuel Payment is in England and Wales. Read that from the legislation before the fix.

Why it matters downstream: PolicyEngine/uk-triple-lock#14's static ageing gives records represented ages above 80, and the Burnham plan changes who gets Pension Credit (a relevant benefit). Both the age-80 rate and the benefit tier therefore move its net figures. It records the gap as a limitation until a release fixes it.

Activity

  1. juaristi22 commented on Oct 24, 2026

    @juaristi22
    Collaborator

    Implemented by #2038 (merged 10 October 2026). PAWHP is now calculated per individual with the 2025 £203.40/£305.10 full amounts and £101.70/£203.40/£152.55 sharing amounts, the correct SSI 2024/351 and 2025/282 references, and the winter fuel payment charge. 2025 cases cover each rate. Closing as completed.

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