Overview

• Energy suppliers will apply the one-off credit between November 2025 and March 31, 2026, with most customers expected to see it before the end of the year.
• Eligibility has widened to include all Universal Credit claimants, a change reported to add around three million households to the scheme.
• The discount is not paid in cash and will appear as a credit to electricity bills or as a voucher for prepayment and pay-as-you-go meters.
• The DWP says people do not need to apply and warns that unsolicited calls are scams, urging reports of suspicious contact to Action Fraud.
• Cold Weather Payments of £25 per seven-day freezing period start on November 1, with automatic payments and triggered postcodes listed by the DWP.