What the Warm Home Discount is
- £150 off your electricity bill, once each winter.
- Applied by your supplier, not paid into your bank.
- For households on certain means-tested benefits.
- Usually automatic in England and Wales.
It runs in England, Scotland and Wales. It is not available in Northern Ireland, which has its own Affordable Warmth scheme.
Who qualifies in England and Wales
You qualify for winter 2026/27 if all three of these were true on 23 August 2026:
- Your electricity supplier is part of the scheme. Most large suppliers are. If you are with a small supplier, check with them.
- You or your partner got a qualifying benefit:
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Housing Benefit
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Your name, or your partner’s, was on the electricity bill.
GOV.UK calls this the “core group”.
Why more people qualify this year
Until recently, many people on qualifying benefits were turned away because their home was not judged “high cost to heat”. That test has been removed, so being on a qualifying benefit and named on the bill is now what counts.
Who does not qualify
- People whose name, and partner’s name, are not on the electricity bill, for example lodgers or adults living with family.
- People who were not on a qualifying benefit on 23 August 2026, even if they claimed one later.
- People who only get income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support. These are not on the 2026/27 list for England and Wales, so check with your supplier.
- People in Northern Ireland.
The date that matters is 23 August 2026
Your benefit and the name on your bill on that date decide whether you get the discount this winter. Starting a benefit or changing the account name afterwards counts towards next winter, not this one.
How you get it
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Step 1: Records are matched
Government benefit records are matched with your supplier’s account details. You do not need to apply.
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Step 2: You may get a letter
Most people do not need to act. If a letter asks you to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline to confirm your details, do so before the date it gives.
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Step 3: The discount is added
Your supplier takes £150 off your electricity account over the winter, normally by 31 March 2027.
Prepayment and pay-as-you-go meters
You can still qualify. Your supplier tells you how you will get the discount, for example a voucher to top up your meter. Read messages from your supplier carefully so a voucher is not missed.
Putting it on your gas bill
If one supplier provides both your gas and electricity, it may be able to apply the discount to your gas account instead. Ask them.
Scotland and park homes
| Where | How it works |
|---|---|
| Scotland | The same 23 August 2026 date applies. Some households, mainly those on Pension Credit and certain disability or child-related benefits, get it automatically (the core group). Others on a low income apply directly to their supplier (the broader group), whose rules and closing dates vary. |
| Park (mobile) homes | Residents apply through a separate Park Homes Warm Home Discount route, linked from GOV.UK. |
| Northern Ireland | The scheme does not run. Ask about the Affordable Warmth scheme instead. |
If you think you have missed out
- Check your bill or account. The credit may be listed as “Warm Home Discount” or a similar rebate.
- Wait until the winter is under way. Discounts are added between October and March, not all at once.
- Contact your supplier if you believe you qualified on 23 August 2026 and nothing has arrived by the new year.
- Switching supplier? Ask your new supplier how it handles the discount before you switch, so it is not lost between accounts.
You never pay to get it
The Warm Home Discount is never sold, and nobody needs your bank details to “release” it. Texts or calls offering it in return for a fee or card details are scams. See how to spot one.
Other help this winter
The Warm Home Discount sits alongside other winter help, and getting one does not affect the others:
- the Winter Fuel Payment for people born on or before 27 June 1960;
- Cold Weather Payments of £25 for each freezing week, for people on certain benefits;
- council help through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
For the full picture, see help with energy bills this winter. If you are on benefits and your boiler is old or you have no central heating, ECO4 may be able to help before it ends on 31 December 2026.
