Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025: Policy Note

Opt-out and Opt-in Requests

All clients will be able to opt-in and opt-out of PAWHP payments. There will be no deadline for clients to opt out, and all opt-out requests will take effect for subsequent payments. Clients will be able to opt back in up to 31 March for the immediately preceding winter. Clients will be able to opt back in for the immediately preceding winter after the deadline of 31 March if they have a good reason for not opting back in sooner. If a client requests to opt back in after 31 March without good reason for not opting back in sooner, the client will be opted-in from the subsequent winter onwards.

Rather than cancelling entitlement, a decision to opt-out will result in a zero-rated award of entitlement. This will ensure clients receive a letter each year notifying them that they are not receiving a payment because they have opted out. This letter will provide information on how to opt back in, should they wish to do so.

For those not in receipt of a joint claim of a relevant benefit, if one member of a couple or household decides to opt-out, this will have no effect on the entitlement or payment value of the other member of the couple or other members of the household. If a client opts-out, they will remain opted-out for all subsequent winters until they choose to opt back in, and the client will remain opted-out even if they become eligible for a different payment rate of PAWHP.