Energy
Financial support
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If you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount, you will receive a letter advising you to call a helpline where your eligibility can be confirmed and the discount applied. It is important to call this number before the deadline mentioned in the letter expires.
Only some households qualify for the Warm Home Discount: you must be in receipt of means-tested benefits and live in a property with a high energy cost. However, these criteria have been expanded from previous years to include working-age households. Further warm home discount information is provided by the government. Please be aware that the above information applies to households in England and Wales. For households in Scotland, you may need to apply for the Warm Home Discount. Contact your energy supplier if you believe you may be eligible.
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The Winter Fuel Payment is only available to those born before 25 September 1957 and who have spent at least one day living in the UK during the ‘qualifying week’ of 18 to 24 September 2023. Most eligible people will receive the payment automatically, but if this is the first year you qualify then you may need to apply. You are able to apply for the Winter Fuel Payment on the government website as well as learn more about the eligibility criteria.
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The Cold Weather Payment is available to people in receipt of certain benefits and is paid automatically in postcodes where the temperature is (or is predicted to be) zero degrees centigrade. This payment is £25 per week of temperature below the threshold and runs from November to March.
The qualifying benefits are pension credit, income support, Income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, Universal Credit and support for mortgage interest. Further information is available from the government.
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You may be able to request fuel vouchers from your local council or a food bank. It’s worth getting in touch with them to find out.
Other actions you can take
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If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills, you should contact your energy supplier as soon as you can to see if they can help.
Many providers offer grants to help you pay your energy bills. Eligibiltiy for grants and discounts will vary by provider and depend on your circumstance.
If you owe your supplier money, they have to help you arrange a way to pay with you that works for you both. The Fuel Direct Scheme may allow you to pay your debt directly from your benefits.
If you can’t come to an agreement with your supplier, or if you’re having trouble understanding the options available, visit citizensadvice.org.uk/energy for help.
If you'd like to talk to someone, these organisations can help:
Citizens Advice (England)
0800 144 8848Citizens Advice (Wales)
0800 702 2020 or 0808 223 1144 for a Welsh-speaking advisorCitizens Advice Scotland
0800 028 1456Consumer Council NI
0800 121 6022 -
If you don’t qualify for support to the extent that you can afford your energy, or you simply need further financial support, your energy supplier is obliged to offer you what help they can.
You can request a number of types of support. You can ask to review your payments (including debt repayments if you owe money) and create a payment plan; you can ask to review a payment plan that you already have in place; you can request payment breaks or more time to pay bills; and you can ask for access to hardship funds.
There’s also other help out there, organisations like National Energy Action can help you find further support with managing your energy bills.
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If you are at risk of losing your energy supply (for instance you are on a prepaid meter and you are running out), you can contact your supplier to discuss this. They can offer you emergency support, however you may need to repay the cost incurred over time, for instance via a payment plan.
Further help for people living in Wales
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Apart from energy support, you may be eligible for extra assistance from the Discretionary Assistance Fund. This fund is available to those who are experiencing serious financial hardship, have lost their jobs or are awaiting their first benefits payment. There are several eligibility criteria, which can be found on the Welsh government website.
Further help for people living in Scotland
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The Home Heating Support Fund is available to people who have been referred by one of the fund’s referral partners, however individual applications can also be made by individuals. It is available to those experiencing serious financial hardship and is inclusive of different fuel delivery mechanisms and fuel types.
This fund is also able to help people experiencing fuel debt. Further information including how to apply can be found on the Home Heating Support Fund website.
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Home Energy Scotland is a body dedicated to improving fuel efficiency in Scottish homes. While it does not offer money to directly pay for fuel, it can provide financial assistance to make your home more fuel efficient.
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This programme is run by the Scottish Government and Warmworks and provides support and financial assistance to those experiencing fuel hardship or struggling to pay energy bills. In the first instance, you should contact Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 to find out whether you qualify. If you do, you will be referred to Warmworks. You can find out more about eligibility criteria on the Warmer Homes Scotland website.
Help for Households
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The government have created a number of schemes to help those who are experiencing financial difficulty, while there is ongoing support through existing channels such as Universal Credit.
These include three types of Cost of Living Payments which are not taxable, meaning you can use all of the value against the rising cost of living.
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This is up to £900 of support paid over 3 payments across 2023/24. These payments should be made to eligible recipients automatically. Further information is available here.
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If you are disabled and use means-tested benefits, then you will receive the normal Cost of Living payment as described in the previous paragraph.
In addition to this, you should automatically receive a £150 payment to help towards costs such as transport and specialist equipment which should have been paid to you in July.
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The Pensioner Cost of Living Payment of up to £300 will be paid as an increase to Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024. There are 3 payments to recipients of means-tested benefit:
- one of £301 paid during spring 2023
- one of £300 paid during autumn 2023
- one of £299 paid during spring 2024
There is further information about the many kinds of assistance offered by the UK government on the Help for Households website.
With all of the above, the payments will be made automatically. If you receive messages asking you to apply or contact someone, this may be a scam.
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You may receive your financial assistance in the form of a Payout voucher which you must redeem in a Post Office branch. These vouchers are issued as a text message, email or a letter through the post. They should include a code which the Post Office staff can type in or scan in order to check your voucher is valid and pay you the money, or add credit onto your energy meter, depending on the type of voucher. You may need to bring ID with you to claim your voucher, it will say on the voucher whether this is required or not.
You can redeem your Payout voucher in any Post Office branch. Find the nearest branch to you to save yourself time.
If you receive cash, don’t forget, you can deposit that straight into your bank account with our Everyday Banking services.
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Budgeting for financial challenges can make those challenges more manageable and foreseeable. Using cash to help you manage your money can be a useful way to budget.
At the Post Office, customers of all High Street banks can withdraw the exact amount of cash they need, over the counter, right down to the penny.
Citizens Advice have guidance on how to create a budget to help you get started.
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You may be entitled to benefits that you aren’t aware of. It can be useful to check your entitlement to ensure you are getting the maximum income possible during financial challenges. Turn2Us have a tool to help you work out your benefits entitlement.
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Turn2us can also help you to check if you are entitled to charitable grants. Charitable grants do not have to be paid back, and can be an additional source of financial support. There are eligibility rules, but you can use this tool to check you qualify.
Debt
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StepChange is a charity who help those who are struggling with debt. There are a number of referral partners whom you can contact if you feel you are struggling with debt. It’s important to talk even if you do not generally consider yourself to be in financial difficulty but have anxieties around debt, as there is help available and you may find life more manageable with help.
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If you have multiple debts and are unsure how best to manage repayments, Citizens Advice are there to help with guidance and suggestions. Understanding how to prioritise your debts can help you better manage them. They have a list of the types of debt you may have incurred and advice on how best to approach the situation.
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Many companies and bodies you may be indebted to will have schemes available for those who have fallen into arrears. As well as seeking help from independent debt advice bodies, you should seek help from the creditors themselves to see if you qualify for their support or whether you can create a repayment plan.
Further help for people living in Scotland
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Citizens Advice Scotland have created two online digital tools that can provide you with key information and resources to improve your financial health.
Money Map signposts the best websites to help you access support to boost your income, reduce your bills and cut the cost of daily living.
Check my council tax helps you to accesses your eligibility for council tax reductions, discounts and exemptions. This tool aims to enable you to make the savings that can help mitigate the emergence of council tax debt.
Help claiming account balances
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Your POca account is now closed and you should have received a letter notifying you of the date your account closed. From that date you will no longer be able to access your account either in branches or via ATMs.
Until the 30th November you (or third parties) can access balances on closed accounts by completing and returning either an account closure form P6703 or a third party closure form P6702 via your local branch. The form provides the option to transfer your balance to a bank or building society account or you can choose to have a cheque sent to you. If you have been moved to the imovo voucher service and do not have an account to transfer your balance into, you can speak to the POca contact centre on 03457 22 33 44 and they will be able to discuss other options that are available to you.
From 1 December 2022 Post Office Limited will no longer offer any services relating to Post Office card account and closed accounts will be managed by J. P. Morgan Europe Limited. A new customer service helpline will be provided from this date and full details of how to contact J.P.Morgan Europe Limited from 1 December will be provided on this page nearer the time.
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Your POca account is now closed and you should have received a letter notifying you of the date your account closed. From that date you will no longer be able to access your account either in branches or via ATMs.
Until the 30th November you (or third parties) can access balances on closed accounts by completing and returning either an account closure form P6703 or a third party closure form P6702 via your local branch. The form provides the option to transfer your balance to a bank or building society account or you can choose to have a cheque sent to you. If you have been moved to the imovo voucher service and do not have an account to transfer your balance into, you can speak to the POca contact centre on 03457 22 33 44 and they will be able to discuss other options that are available to you.
From 1 December 2022 Post Office Limited will no longer offer any services relating to Post Office card account and closed accounts will be managed by J. P. Morgan Europe Limited. A new customer service helpline will be provided from this date and full details of how to contact J.P.Morgan Europe Limited from 1 December will be provided on this page nearer the time.