Warm Home Discount 2026-27: who qualifies for the £150 bill discount
Whether a household qualifies depends on its situation on 23 August 2026, GOV.UK says.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme will reopen in October 2026, offering eligible households a one-off £150 discount off their electricity bill for winter 2026 to 2027, according to GOV.UK.
The discount is applied by the electricity supplier and the money is not paid to the household. People who are eligible will usually get it automatically, GOV.UK says, though in Scotland some households need to apply directly to their supplier.
| If you live in | May be eligible if all of this applied on 23 August 2026 | How the discount arrives |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | The supplier is in the scheme; the householder or partner gets Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit; their name is on the electricity bill | Applied to the bill by the supplier |
| Scotland | The supplier is in the scheme; the householder or partner gets certain means-tested benefits; their name is on the electricity bill | Automatically for some benefits; households on others apply to the supplier |
| Northern Ireland | The scheme is not available | Affordable Warmth scheme instead |
Who qualifies in England and Wales?
A household may be eligible if all of the following applied on 23 August 2026, according to GOV.UK’s page for England and Wales. The energy supplier must be part of the scheme, the householder or their partner must get a qualifying means-tested benefit, and the name of one of them must be on the electricity bill.
The qualifying benefits are Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Pension Credit. GOV.UK calls this the “core group”.
What is different in Scotland?
The same date and the same conditions apply in Scotland, but the route to the discount differs, GOV.UK’s Scotland page says. A household gets the discount automatically if the householder or partner gets Pension Credit, or gets an extra amount of Universal Credit because they or a child has a disability or health condition. The same goes for a household that gets a disability premium or a pensioner premium of income-related ESA, or a disability premium or pensioner premium and has a Support for Mortgage Interest loan.
Households with responsibility for a child under 5 who normally lives with them also get the discount automatically if the householder is unemployed and gets Universal Credit, gets income-related ESA or has a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. Everyone else has to apply directly to their energy supplier, which may set extra eligibility criteria and will say which benefits count.
Which suppliers take part?
GOV.UK’s list of suppliers for winter 2026 to 2027 includes British Gas, EDF, E.ON Next, Octopus Energy, OVO, ScottishPower and Utilita, among others. If a supplier stops trading, Ofgem appoints a new one, and the household may still be eligible. GOV.UK says to check with the new supplier.
A household with a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter can still qualify. The supplier can say how the discount is delivered, for example a voucher to top up the meter. Residents of park homes apply a different way, through the Park Homes Warm Home Discount.
What if last winter’s discount did not arrive?
A household that did not get its 2025-26 discount by 31 March 2026 should contact its electricity supplier, according to GOV.UK’s help page, but only if it has confirmation that it was eligible. That means a letter from the Warm Home Discount Scheme, a statement from the scheme’s helpline or, in Scotland, being told so when applying to the supplier.
If the supplier cannot help, the household can write to the Warm Home Discount Scheme, whose postal address and the details to include are listed on GOV.UK’s help page. As of 7 October 2026, GOV.UK’s pages still describe the scheme as closed and do not give a date for when this winter’s discount will be applied.
Questions
Does the discount affect Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment?
No, according to GOV.UK: the discount will not affect either payment.
Can the discount go on a gas bill?
Possibly. GOV.UK says a household may be able to get it on its gas bill instead if the supplier provides both gas and electricity and the household is eligible, and it advises contacting the supplier.
