The £100 energy payment: who gets it, when, and how it is paid

💷 The £100 energy payment snapshot Budget 2026 · from January 2027 · page updated 29 Oct 2026

Who gets the £100 Household Energy Payment announced in Budget 2026, when it arrives, how it is paid, and what to do if you are in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Do I get the £100 energy payment?

Yes, if your home is in council tax band A, B, C or D in England ANNOUNCED

Up to 20 million households in England, at a cost of £2.6bn, in the Treasury's figures. It depends on your home's council tax band, not on your income or on benefits, and you do not have to be on a prepayment meter or any particular tariff. Bands E to H do not get it. Check your band on GOV.UK

Why we do not show your band from your postcode

A council tax band belongs to a home, not to a postcode: one street can hold homes in band A and band F, so a postcode cannot tell you whether you qualify. GOV.UK's check above finds your own home by its address. Your band is also printed on your council tax bill.

When and how is the £100 paid?

From January 2027, by your council, into your bank account FROM JANUARY 2027

If you pay council tax by Direct Debit, your council already has your bank details and should pay the £100 automatically. If you pay any other way, the Government says councils will make arrangements for you to give your bank details; your council will say how. It is not a discount on your energy bill, and your energy supplier is not involved.

Watch for scams TAKE CARE

Scam texts and emails offering to "pay your £100" followed the £150 council tax rebate in 2022, and are likely again. Do not give bank or card details through a link in a text or email. Go to your council's website yourself, or ring the number on your council tax bill. Your energy supplier will not ask you to claim it. See the scam avoidance database.

What if I am in band E to H?

A separate £100m fund through councils

The Government is also giving English councils £100 million to help households hit hardest by rising bills who do not qualify for the £100. Each council decides who it helps and how, so ask yours.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Funding is given; schemes are not yet announced TO BE CONFIRMED

The £100 payment is for England. The Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive receive their share of the money (through the Barnett formula) to arrange something similar, but none has yet said who would get what, or when. Northern Ireland has no council tax bands, so any scheme there would have to work differently.

What else from the Budget affects energy bills

Two more changes

No VAT on home electricity in Great Britain now runs to 30 June 2027 — about £50 off the price cap from April. Gas standing charges are to be abolished, aiming for the end of 2027: low gas users gain, high users pay more — see the worked example on Gas to energy bill. Everything else is on Budget 2026: what it means for you.

i If you are in England, check your band now and, if you do not pay council tax by Direct Debit, watch your council's website in the new year for how to give your bank details. The £100 comes from the council, never from a link in a text.

Sources: HM Treasury, Budget 2026 · MoneySavingExpert, 28 Oct 2026 · GOV.UK: council tax bands.