Overview

• Suppliers will cross-match customer records on Sunday, August 24 to apply the £150 credit automatically to accounts where the named bill-payer receives a qualifying benefit.
• The scheme expansion adds about 2.7 million households this winter, bringing total potential recipients to around six million.
• Eligibility requires the named bill-payer to receive one of six means-tested benefits, with Scottish households automatically included only for Pension Credit Guarantee Credit and others required to apply to their supplier from October.
• Prepayment-meter customers must ensure their household account is registered under the qualifying name to receive vouchers or smart-meter top-ups.
• Households missing the deadline will enter a late application process that relies on an eligibility letter later in the year, with helpline support if nothing arrives by January 2026.