The £100 Household Energy Payment: who gets it, when, and what has not been published
The 28 October 2026 Budget announced a one-off £100 Household Energy Payment for households in council tax bands A to D in England, starting in January 2027. The amount, the bands and the month are confirmed. How the money reaches you is not, and this guide marks every gap.
Updated 28 October 2026 · written by the Clearline guidance team · 5 min read
On this page
- What is the Household Energy Payment?
- Who gets the £100 Household Energy Payment?
- How will the Household Energy Payment be paid?
- When will the £100 arrive?
- What has not been published yet?
- What is £100 worth against an energy bill?
- Does the payment change the Warm Home Discount or other support?
- What else did the Budget change for energy bills?
What is the Household Energy Payment?
It is a one-off £100 payment announced in the 28 October 2026 Budget and funded at £2.6 billion, for up to 20 million households in council tax bands A to D in England. The Red Book says about 80% of households in England gain from it. It is separate from the Ofgem price cap, whose level for 1 January 2027 Ofgem announces by 25 November 2026, and it is separate from the 0% VAT on electricity that the same Budget extended to the end of June 2027.
The Red Book also gives a further £100 million to English local authorities for targeted support to households hit by energy bills, including some in bands above D. Everything else about the payment is still to come.
Who gets the £100 Household Energy Payment?
| Question | What the Budget says | Status |
|---|---|---|
Which households? | Council tax bands A to D in England | Confirmed |
How many? | Up to 20 million households | Confirmed |
How much? | £100 each, one-off, £2.6 billion in total | Confirmed |
When? | From January 2027 | Month confirmed, exact date not published |
Help above band D? | £100 million to English local authorities for targeted support, including some households in bands above D | Amount confirmed, rules not published |
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland? | Devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula to fund similar support | Their schemes are not specified |
Homes with several occupiers, or other conditions? | Not stated | Not published |
Sources: HM Treasury, Budget 2026 document (Red Book), executive summary energy bills box, paragraphs 3.5, 3.6 and 6.23, and Table 6.1 row 1; HM Treasury Budget 2026 news release. Checked 28 October 2026.
How will the Household Energy Payment be paid?
The Budget documents describe the route three different ways, and none of them is a rule yet. The Red Book summary says the money goes directly into bank accounts, paragraph 3.5 says it goes via the council tax system, and paragraph 6.23 and Table 6.1 call it a £100 council tax rebate delivered by local authorities. We found no guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government or from local authorities on GOV.UK when we checked on 28 October 2026.
Because the route is not published, be cautious about any message that says it can pay you the £100 and asks for bank details. Check GOV.UK or your own council first.
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When will the £100 arrive?
The Budget says from January 2027. It does not give a payment date inside January or say whether payments run beyond it, and no Budget document says how the money will appear on a bill or a statement. We will update this guide when the Government or the local authorities publish dates.
What has not been published yet?
- The exact payment date, and whether payments continue after January 2027.
- How the money is paid: into a bank account, through a council tax account, or credited by your council.
- Eligibility beyond council tax bands A to D, including homes with several occupiers.
- Who qualifies for the extra £100 million of local support, including households in bands above D.
- The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland schemes, which the Budget funds but does not describe.
What is £100 worth against an energy bill?
For scale, here is £100 set against the Ofgem price cap rates in force from 1 October to 31 December 2026. This is our own arithmetic on Ofgem's published rates, shown so you can check it; the payment itself is a flat £100.
| Ofgem price cap rate | Rate | What £100 covers |
|---|---|---|
Electricity unit rate | 26.32p per kWh | About 380 kWh |
Electricity standing charge | 54.83p a day | About 182 days |
Gas standing charge | 29.68p a day | About 337 days, against £108.33 for a full year |
£100 divided by each rate. Ofgem price cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026; Ofgem announces the rates for 1 January 2027 by 25 November 2026. Source: Ofgem, accessed 28 October 2026.
The payment arrives once. What a solar system or a battery saves depends on your roof, your usage and your tariff, and the only honest number is one worked from your own bills. Our guide to whether solar panels are worth it shows the working, and the price cap page carries the current rates.
Does the payment change the Warm Home Discount or other support?
The Budget documents do not say how the Household Energy Payment interacts with other support. The Warm Home Discount is separate: DESNZ's 22 October 2026 release confirms £150 off bills this winter for around 6 million households, with letters going out through to January 2027, and no Budget document mentions the scheme. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Warm Homes Loan Scheme are also separate. See Warm Home Discount vs Warm Homes Loan and our Warm Homes Loan page; Clearline offers no credit, and that page explains the government scheme.
What else did the Budget change for energy bills?
- 0% VAT on domestic electricity has been extended to the end of June 2027: electricity VAT extended to June 2027.
- The government has asked Ofgem to abolish gas standing charges, with no start date: what it means for your bills.
- 0% VAT on installing solar panels, batteries and heat pumps still ends on 31 March 2027: the VAT deadline guide.
- The whole picture, in one place: what the Budget means for solar, batteries and heat pumps.
Weighing up solar or a battery? A free design call, on video or by phone if you prefer, works your savings out from your own bills. Our battery storage page has current package prices.
Get my free quote →The Household Energy Payment, answered
Who gets the £100 Household Energy Payment?
Households in council tax bands A to D in England, up to 20 million of them, announced in the 28 October 2026 Budget. Eligibility beyond the bands, including homes with several occupiers, has not been published.
When will the Household Energy Payment be paid?
From January 2027. The exact date inside January, and whether payments continue after it, has not been published.
Do I need to apply for the £100?
No application route has been published. The Red Book describes the payment as going directly into bank accounts, via the council tax system and as a council tax rebate delivered by local authorities, so the mechanism is not settled. Wait for official guidance from GOV.UK or your council.
I live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Do I get it?
The £100 is for England. The devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula to fund similar support, but their schemes are not specified.
My home is in council tax band E or above. Is there any help?
Not through the £100. The Budget gives £100 million to English local authorities for targeted support to households hit by energy bills, including some in bands above D, but the rules for it have not been published.
Is the Household Energy Payment the same as the Warm Home Discount?
No. The Warm Home Discount is a separate scheme: DESNZ confirmed £150 off bills this winter on 22 October 2026, and no Budget document mentions it.
Does the payment change the price cap?
No Budget document ties it to the cap. Ofgem announces the cap for 1 January 2027 by 25 November 2026, and the Budget documents give no effect on it.
See the numbers next: Duracell Dura16, installed, or export rates compared.
Every fact about the payment comes from the Budget 2026 documents on GOV.UK, read on 28 October 2026. Where they are silent we say so rather than infer, and we will update this guide when payment guidance is published. The arithmetic in the comparison table is Clearline's own, on Ofgem's published rates. This is information, not financial advice; Clearline offers no credit. Every system is installed and commissioned by our own MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams.
Sources
- HM Treasury, Budget 2026 document (Red Book): executive summary energy bills box, pages 2 to 3; paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6; paragraph 6.23; Table 6.1 row 1; accessed 28 October 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2026-document/budget-2026-html
- HM Treasury, Budget 2026: Breathing space for today, hope for the future, households section, accessed 28 October 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/budget-2026-breathing-space-for-today-hope-for-the-future
- Ofgem, changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026, unit rates and standing charges, accessed 28 October 2026 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026
- DESNZ, households to receive £150 Warm Home Discount confirmation letter, 22 October 2026 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-to-receive-150-warm-home-discount-confirmation-letter
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