£100 Household Energy Payment: Who Gets It in 2027?

What is the Household Energy Payment?

The Household Energy Payment is a new £100 payment announced in the Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026. The confirmed scheme covers up to 20 million households in England and is intended to help with higher energy costs. Payments are due to start in January 2027.

It is a flat payment rather than a rebate calculated from how much electricity or gas you use. A household does not receive more for using more energy, and the payment does not change the unit rate, standing charge, meter reading or balance calculation on an energy bill. Keep it separate when checking what your supplier has charged.

The government says the scheme is worth £2.6 billion. That is the programme budget, not an amount divided equally between every UK household. The confirmed £100 entitlement described here applies to qualifying homes in England; the devolved governments will decide how their shares of funding are used.

Who qualifies in England?

The published test has three main parts. You must live in England, the property must be your main home, and it must be in Council Tax band A, B, C or D. The person eligible for the payment must normally be liable for Council Tax at that address.

Most households that are exempt from Council Tax are expected to be included, but the government says full eligibility criteria will be published later. Do not assume that every exemption or unusual household arrangement is covered until those rules appear. The council, rather than the energy supplier, will be the key contact for the payment.

Second homes and empty properties are excluded. A household where the resident is not responsible for paying the Council Tax is also excluded under the current announcement. Renters can qualify where the rented property is their main home, it is in band A to D and they are the person liable for Council Tax; having a tenancy does not itself prevent eligibility.

• Check that the address is your main home in England.
• Look up the property’s Council Tax band on GOV.UK; it must currently be A to D.
• Confirm who is named as liable for Council Tax at the address.
• Wait for the detailed rules if the home is exempt or your liability is unusual.
• Keep your council contact and payment details current.

How will the £100 be paid?

If you pay Council Tax by Direct Debit and meet the conditions, government guidance says you will not need to apply. Your council should pay the £100 directly into your bank account. The scheme begins in January 2027, but that does not mean every council will make every payment on the first day of January.

If you do not pay Council Tax by Direct Debit, your council will invite you to apply. The final application process and local timetable have not yet been published, so use your council’s official website and letters rather than unofficial forms. GOV.UK’s council finder can take you to the correct local authority website.

Do not change your energy supplier or payment method just to get the payment. It is being delivered through Council Tax records, not through electricity accounts. If you move before payment, keep the closing Council Tax record for the old address and register promptly at the new main home; detailed rules will determine which council handles cases around the qualifying date.

Worked household examples

Example one: a household lives in its main home in England, the property is band C and the resident pays Council Tax by Direct Debit. On the information published so far, it meets the core test and should receive £100 automatically into the bank account used for Council Tax.

Example two: a resident lives in a band B main home but pays Council Tax online each month rather than by Direct Debit. The home may qualify, but the resident should expect the council to invite an application and should follow only the council’s verified process.

Example three: a person owns a band A holiday property as well as their main home. The holiday property is a second home, so it does not qualify. Eligibility is based on the qualifying main household, not the number of properties or energy accounts someone has.

Example four: an English household lives in a Council Tax-exempt property. The government says most exempt households will be included, but the full criteria are not yet available. The safe action is to check the detailed guidance when published rather than assuming automatic payment.

What about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

The £100 bands A–D scheme is confirmed for England. The Budget provides additional funding to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through the Barnett formula, but each devolved government will decide how to provide support according to local needs.

That means an English Council Tax band should not be used to predict entitlement elsewhere. Wales has Council Tax bands but has not yet confirmed that it will copy the English design. Scotland and Northern Ireland also have their own arrangements and may set a different amount, eligibility test, delivery method or timetable.

Wait for an announcement from the relevant devolved government and use its official website. Do not submit an England council application for an address in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This article will need updating when those administrations publish their decisions.

Other help if you do not qualify

The Budget also provides £100 million for English local authorities to offer discretionary help to households hit by higher energy bills but not covered by the £100 payment. Councils will set their own eligibility criteria and application arrangements. Check your council’s official website once local details are published.

The Household Energy Payment is separate from the Warm Home Discount. For 2026/27, that scheme is a one-off £150 discount applied to an eligible electricity account, not money paid into a bank account. Receiving one form of help should not be treated as proof that you do or do not qualify for the other; follow the rules for each scheme.

If you are struggling to pay now, contact your energy supplier rather than waiting until January. Ask for an affordable repayment arrangement and available support. Our guides to the Warm Home Discount, energy Direct Debits and formal supplier complaints explain those separate routes.

Avoid Household Energy Payment scams

Government guidance says nobody other than your council should contact you to claim the payment. A message that asks for bank details, a fee, a password or a one-time security code should be treated with suspicion, especially if it creates urgency or links to an unfamiliar website.

Do not rely on the phone number or link in an unexpected message. Find your council independently through GOV.UK, then use the contact details on its official website to check whether the message is genuine. Direct Debit households should not need to complete an application under the announced process.

Keep screenshots or copies of suspicious messages and report them through the appropriate official channel. The detailed application process for non-Direct Debit households is still pending, so claims that everyone must register immediately are not consistent with the current guidance.