Is your name on your energy bill? No? That’ll cost you £150

Who gets the £150 Warm Home Discount, and what's the deadline?

Many families are struggling financially thanks to the cost-of-living crisis, and while it's summer now, we're only weeks away from cooler weather and the higher electricity bills that come with it.

For anyone already stretched, that's one more thing to worry about. The Warm Home Discount takes a little of that weight off, giving eligible households £150 off their electricity costs over winter, and for most people who qualify, it's applied automatically, with no form to fill in.

There's a catch worth knowing about, though. To get the discount automatically, your name needs to be on your energy bill by the qualifying date in late August, and missing that can cost you the full £150.

The government is now reminding eligible households to check their details before suppliers take their snapshot of who qualifies. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it's worth doing even if you're fairly sure you're covered.

Who gets the £150 Warm Home Discount, and what's the deadline?

The Warm Home Discount is a £150 rebate on your electricity costs for households on means-tested benefits, and the key date this year is the qualifying date of the 24th of August. Your energy supplier works out who qualifies from their records around that date, so make sure you're correctly named on your bill by the 23rd, giving yourself a day's margin rather than cutting it fine.

In England and Wales, every household where the bill payer is on a qualifying means-tested benefit is in line for the rebate, following the expansion of the scheme last year. That change brought in nearly a million additional families with children, and around six million households across Britain are now eligible. The rebate is confirmed to continue for the rest of the decade, running through to 2030/31, so it isn't a one-winter arrangement.

The reason the deadline matters is that the whole thing hinges on your name being on the right account at the right moment. Get that wrong, and the automatic system won't match you, however clearly you qualify on paper, so a quick check now is worth doing, even if you're fairly sure you're covered.

Who qualifies for the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales?

In England and Wales, you qualify if your name (or your partner's) is on the electricity bill and you receive a qualifying means-tested benefit on the qualifying date. Since the property test was removed last winter, the benefit you're on is what decides it, and the qualifying benefits are:

• Universal Credit

• Pension Credit (both the Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit elements)

• Housing Benefit

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)

• Income Support

• Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit (for those who haven't yet moved across to Universal Credit or Pension Credit, as Tax Credits are being phased out)

If you're on any of those and named on your electricity bill, you should receive the £150 automatically, with no application needed. There's also a separate route for pensioners: if you or your partner get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit, you qualify automatically regardless of income, and that group is identified first.

The one requirement is that your energy supplier has to be part of the scheme. Almost all the large suppliers are, since any supplier with more than 1,000 domestic customers is obligated to take part, but a handful of very small suppliers aren't, so if you're with a niche provider it's worth a quick check.

Does being on Universal Credit mean I get it automatically?

For qualifying Universal Credit recipients in England and Wales, the payment is automatic. You need to be named on your electricity bill on the qualifying date, and your supplier needs to be part of the scheme, but if those two things are true, the £150 is applied to your account without any application.

The scheme changed last winter. Until then, England and Wales also applied a "high cost to heat" test, which judged your property's age, size and type and filtered out many people who were on the right benefits. That test has been removed, so this winter any household on a qualifying means-tested benefit, named on the bill, receives the discount automatically. The change added nearly a million more families to the scheme.

Why the recently moved and prepayment users get caught out

The people most likely to miss out aren't those who don't qualify, but those who do qualify and slip through on a technicality. If you've recently moved house, your name may not yet be on the electricity bill at your new address, which is exactly the kind of gap that stops the automatic match working. Log into your account or check a recent bill to confirm your name is on it.

Prepayment meter customers need to take extra care too. If you top up with a key or card, you still qualify on the same terms, but your household's account needs to be registered in your name rather than a previous occupant's. If it isn't, contact your supplier and get it corrected before the qualifying date, because fixing it now is far easier than discovering the £150 went elsewhere in December.

How the discount fits with other help this winter

The Warm Home Discount doesn't arrive as cash in your bank; it's a one-off credit applied to your electricity account, usually between October and March. For prepayment customers it comes as credit towards your meter rather than a payment, but the value is the same £150 either way. It also sits on top of other support, so getting it doesn't affect your Winter Fuel Payment or any Cold Weather Payments you're due.

More help is coming from another direction too. VAT is being removed from domestic electricity bills from the 1st of October, which the government says takes around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap. On its own that's smaller than the Warm Home Discount, but together with the £150 rebate it adds up to a useful cushion against winter costs for households watching every pound.

What to do before the deadline

Check that you, or your partner, are named on your electricity bill, because that's what the £150 depends on. It only takes a couple of minutes: log into your online account or check a recent bill, confirm the name is right, and if it isn't, contact your supplier to correct it before the qualifying date on the 24th of August. If you're on a prepayment meter, check the account is registered in your name too.

If you know someone who might qualify, an older relative, a neighbour, or a friend who's recently moved, it's worth reminding them to check, since the people who most need the £150 are often the ones who miss the reminder.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for the £150 Warm Home Discount?

The qualifying date this winter is the 24th of August, when suppliers check their records to see who's eligible. Make sure you're named on your electricity bill before then, ideally by the 23rd to be safe, or the automatic system may not match you.

Does being on Universal Credit mean I get the discount automatically?

For qualifying Universal Credit recipients in England and Wales, yes, it's automatic, as long as you're named on your electricity bill on the qualifying date and your supplier is in the scheme. There's no form to fill in. In Scotland, low-income households usually have to apply.

How much is the Warm Home Discount and how is it paid?

It's £150 off your electricity costs, applied as a one-off credit to your account, usually between October and March. It's not paid as cash, and for prepayment meters it comes as credit towards your meter instead.

Do I need to apply for the Warm Home Discount?

In England and Wales, no, it's applied automatically if you qualify and are named on your bill. In Scotland, low-income households usually have to apply through their energy supplier, and places can be limited, so apply as early as you can.

Does the Warm Home Discount affect my Winter Fuel Payment?

No, the two are separate. Receiving the £150 Warm Home Discount doesn't reduce or affect your Winter Fuel Payment or any Cold Weather Payments you're entitled to.

I have a prepayment meter, can I still get it?

Yes, prepayment and pay-as-you-go customers qualify on the same terms. Your household's account just needs to be registered in your name, and the £150 usually arrives as credit towards your meter.