Set by government, applied by your electricity supplier
£150
taken off your electricity bill. The money is not paid to you.
Closed right now. It reopens in October 2026.
23 Aug 26, that date has gone. The qualifying date for this winter has already passed. If you were on a qualifying benefit that day you are in, even if you claimed nothing since.
Can you claim it?
- You were getting Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or income related Employment and Support Allowance on 23 August 2026.
- Your name or your partner's name is on the electricity bill.
- Your supplier takes part in the scheme. The large suppliers all do.
How to claim
In England and Wales you do not apply. Suppliers are told who qualifies and the discount appears on the bill. If you think you qualify and hear nothing by the time the scheme reopens, ring the Warm Home Discount helpline before contacting your supplier.
Warm Home Discount, gov.uk →
Worth knowing
- The qualifying date was 23 August 2026, which has gone. Being on a benefit now but not then does not qualify you for this winter.
- It is a credit against your electricity account, so it does not help with gas or with anything else.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandNoNorthern IrelandNo
Scotland runs a separate scheme with an application route, listed just below. Northern Ireland has no Warm Home Discount at all.
Checked against: Warm Home Discount Scheme, gov.uk · Eligibility statement, England and Wales, 2026 to 2027
Scottish Government rules, applied by your electricity supplier
£150
off your electricity bill
Closed right now. It reopens in October 2026.
Can you claim it?
- Core group, which is automatic: you or your partner get Pension Credit, or extra Universal Credit because of a disability or health condition, or a disability or pensioner premium with income related Employment and Support Allowance or a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.
- Broader group, which is not automatic: you get certain means tested benefits, your supplier is in the scheme, and your name or your partner's is on the electricity bill.
- Your supplier may add conditions of its own on top.
How to claim
If you are in the core group it is applied for you. If you are in the broader group you must apply to your electricity supplier yourself once the scheme reopens in October. This is the single biggest difference from England and Wales and the reason Scottish households miss out.
Warm Home Discount in Scotland, gov.uk →
Worth knowing
- In England and Wales nobody applies. In Scotland a large group has to, and funding is limited, so applying late can mean missing out even when you qualify.
Where it appliesEnglandNoWalesNoScotlandYesNorthern IrelandNo
This is the Scottish scheme. England and Wales work differently and are covered separately.
Checked against: If you live in Scotland, gov.uk · Ofgem, Warm Home Discount eligibility
Department for Work and Pensions
£100 to £300
depending on your age and who you live with
Qualifying week is 21 to 27 September 2026.
21 Sep 26, in 26 days. Qualifying week runs 21 to 27 September 2026. Where you live and who you live with during that week decides what you get.
Can you claim it?
- You were born on or before 27 June 1960.
- You live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland during the qualifying week of 21 to 27 September 2026.
- You do not need to be on any benefit. This is the thing most sites still get wrong.
How to claim
Almost nobody applies. A letter comes in October or November saying how much you will get, and payment lands in November or December 2026.
Winter Fuel Payment, gov.uk →
| Your situation | Amount |
|---|
| Living alone, born 28 Sept 1946 to 27 June 1960 | £200 |
| Living alone, born before 28 Sept 1946 | £300 |
| With another eligible person, both born 28 Sept 1946 to 27 June 1960 | £100 each |
| With another eligible person, both born before 28 Sept 1946 | £150 each |
| On Pension Credit, Universal Credit or ESA, born 28 Sept 1946 to 27 June 1960 | £200 |
| On Pension Credit, Universal Credit or ESA, born before 28 Sept 1946 | £300 |
| In a care home, born 28 Sept 1946 to 27 June 1960 | £100 |
| In a care home, born before 28 Sept 1946 | £150 |
Worth knowing
- If your own income is over £35,000 HMRC takes the payment back through the tax system. Your partner's income does not count towards that.
- You can opt out instead of having it clawed back.
- It is not gated on Pension Credit any more. Plenty of sites still say it is.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandNoNorthern IrelandYes
Scotland has its own Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead, covered separately.
Checked against: Winter Fuel Payment, gov.uk · How much you will get, gov.uk · Winter Fuel Payment, nidirect
£105.55 to £316.70
depending on your age and who you live with
Qualifying week is 21 to 27 September 2026.
19 Oct 26, in about 2 months. Midday on 19 October 2026 is the deadline to opt out if you would rather not receive it.
Can you claim it?
- You reached State Pension age by 27 September 2026, meaning born before 27 June 1960.
- You live in Scotland during the qualifying week of 21 to 27 September 2026.
| Your situation | Amount |
|---|
| Living alone, aged 66 years 3 months to 79 | £211.15 |
| Living alone, aged 80 or over | £316.70 |
| Living with someone not eligible, both 66 to 79 | £105.55 |
| Living with someone not eligible, both 80 or over | £158.35 |
| Joint award, both 66 to 79 | £211.15 |
| Joint award, one or both 80 or over | £316.70 |
| In residential care, 66 to 79 | £105.55 |
| In residential care, 80 or over | £158.35 |
Worth knowing
- Same as the rest of the United Kingdom, income over £35,000 means HMRC takes it back.
- Around 879,000 Scottish pensioners qualify.
Where it appliesEnglandNoWalesNoScotlandYesNorthern IrelandNo
This replaced the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland.
Checked against: How much you might be paid, mygov.scot · Social Security Scotland, July 2026
Department for Work and Pensions
£25
for each seven day cold spell
Paid only when the weather triggers it, so a mild winter can pay nothing.
Can you claim it?
- You get Pension Credit, income related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest.
- Each of those carries an extra condition, usually a child under 5, a disability or pensioner premium, or limited capability for work.
- The average temperature where you live is recorded or forecast at zero degrees or below for seven days running.
Worth knowing
- It is triggered by your postcode's weather station, not by how cold your house is.
- In a mild winter it pays nothing at all, which is the whole reason Scotland moved to a fixed payment.
What we could not verify. The 2026 to 2027 season dates for England and Wales are not published. Northern Ireland has confirmed 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027. We are not assuming England and Wales match until gov.uk says so.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandNoNorthern IrelandYes
Scotland replaced this with a single guaranteed Winter Heating Payment, covered separately.
Checked against: Cold Weather Payment, gov.uk · Cold Weather Payment, nidirect
£62
once a year, whatever the weather does
Paid from December.
Can you claim it?
- You get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, income based Jobseeker's Allowance, income related Employment and Support Allowance or Support for Mortgage Interest.
- Each carries an extra condition such as a child under 5, a disability or severe disability premium, or the limited capability for work element.
Worth knowing
- Unlike the Cold Weather Payment it does not depend on the temperature, so it pays every year.
- Scotland still counts Income Support and income based Jobseeker's Allowance, which gov.uk no longer lists for the Cold Weather Payment.
What we could not verify. The £62 figure is what mygov.scot describes as the next payment, on a page last updated in February 2026. The qualifying week for 2026 to 2027 is not yet published, so we are not stating one.
Where it appliesEnglandNoWalesNoScotlandYesNorthern IrelandNo
Scotland's replacement for the Cold Weather Payment.
Checked against: Winter Heating Payment, mygov.scot
Every energy supplier and every network operator, required by Ofgem
Free
it is help rather than money, and it costs nothing
Open all year. You can join today.
Can you claim it?
- You have reached State Pension age.
- You are pregnant or have young children.
- You have a disability or a long term medical condition, including mental health conditions and anything needing medical equipment.
- You are recovering from an injury or a hospital stay, recently bereaved, or recently lost your job.
- You have difficulty with English.
- Temporary situations count. You do not have to be permanently in one of these groups.
How to claim
Contact your energy supplier and your network operator. They keep separate registers, so joining one does not put you on the other. You can do it online, by phone or in writing.
Priority Services Register, Ofgem →
Worth knowing
- It gives you no money and no discount. What it gives you is advance warning of power cuts, priority in an emergency, bills in large print or braille, a nominated person to deal with your account, help moving a prepayment meter you cannot safely reach, and free meter readings.
- Being on it also makes it far harder for a supplier to move you to a prepayment meter against your will.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandYesNorthern IrelandYes
Checked against: Priority Services Register, Ofgem
An independent charity funded by British Gas
A grant against energy debt
paid to your energy account, not to you
Open now.
Can you claim it?
- You live in England, Scotland or Wales.
- Household income under £20,328, or you qualify through disability or carer benefits, or you have three or more children.
- You owe between £250 and £1,700 if you pay in arrears, or between £50 and £1,700 on a prepayment meter.
- You have had money advice from an agency, or used the Trust's own budgeting tool, in the last six months.
- You have not had a grant from the Trust in the last two years.
- The energy account is in your name at your address.
Worth knowing
- This is the one supplier fund open to customers of any energy supplier, not just British Gas. Most of the others are for their own customers only.
- The separate British Gas Energy Support Fund is closed.
What we could not verify. The Trust's own homepage says grants of up to £2,000 while its grants page gives an upper debt threshold of £1,700. We are not publishing a maximum award until the Trust resolves that.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandYesNorthern IrelandNo
England, Scotland and Wales only.
Checked against: British Gas Energy Trust
Individual energy suppliers, several administered by Charis
Varies
usually a credit against energy debt, sometimes a replacement appliance
EDF and E.ON Next funds are open now.
Can you claim it?
- You are a customer of that supplier. Unlike the British Gas Energy Trust, these are almost always closed to everyone else.
- You are in energy debt and cannot clear it.
- You have taken independent debt advice first. EDF and ScottishPower both require this before you apply.
How to claim
Go to your own supplier's fund. EDF and E.ON Next both apply through Charis. ScottishPower applies through Sigma Connected. Octopus runs Octo Assist for its own customers.
Open supplier funds, Charis →
Worth knowing
- Some funds also replace a broken fridge or cooker, not just clear debt.
- Several supplier funds have closed. Check the fund is open before spending time on an application.
What we could not verify. We are not publishing award limits for the EDF, E.ON Next, ScottishPower or Octopus funds because none of them publishes one we could verify.
What we could not verify. We found no official OVO page for a customer fund, so we make no claim about one.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandYesNorthern IrelandNot established
Checked against: Charis, funds open now · ScottishPower Hardship Fund
Department for Work and Pensions
A fixed deduction
taken from your benefit and paid to the supplier
Open all year.
Can you claim it?
- You get Pension Credit, income related Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.
- You are in arrears with gas or electricity.
Worth knowing
- On Universal Credit the arrears deduction is 5% of the standard allowance, and an extra amount for ongoing use can be added on top.
- Only three third party deductions can run at once.
- It stops disconnection and enforcement, but it is money coming out of a benefit that is already tight. Take debt advice before agreeing to it.
Where it appliesEnglandYesWalesYesScotlandYesNorthern IrelandYes
Checked against: Guide for fuel suppliers, gov.uk
Northern Ireland Housing Executive with councils
Up to £7,500
up to £10,000 for a solid wall property
Open now.
Can you claim it?
- You live in Northern Ireland.
- You own and live in the property as your main home, or you rent from a private landlord.
- Total gross household income is under £23,000 a year.
- Social housing tenants, holiday homes and commercial properties do not qualify.
How to claim
Through the NI Energy Advice Service on 0800 111 44 55. Eligibility is checked first, then a form with proof of ownership or tenancy, occupancy and income.
Affordable Warmth Scheme, NIHE →
Worth knowing
- It pays for insulation, ventilation, heating replacement and windows rather than for your bill.
- Work is done in priority order, so you may not get everything you ask for.
This is changing. The scheme ends in March 2028 and is being replaced by the Warm Healthy Homes Fund.
Where it appliesEnglandNoWalesNoScotlandNoNorthern IrelandYes
Northern Ireland only.
Checked against: Affordable Warmth Scheme, NIHE · Warm Healthy Homes Fund, Communities NI