The short answer: The Household Energy Payment is a one-off £100 for households in council tax bands A to D in England who live in the home as their main home and are liable for its council tax. It was announced in the Budget on 28 October 2026 and will be paid from January 2027. If you pay your council tax by direct debit, you don’t need to do anything: the money goes straight into your bank account. If you don’t, your council will invite you to apply. Up to 20 million households will get it.
GOV.UK and the Budget also call it the £100 council tax rebate, because it is paid through the council tax system. It is the same payment.
Last verified: 30 October 2026 against the DESNZ Budget energy bills guide (28 October 2026), Budget 2026 and the MHCLG letter to councils.
Read this first. Great British Energy (greatbritishenergy.com) is an independent grants guide. We are not the government company (Great British Energy, gbe.gov.uk), the government itself, your council or the Warm Homes Agency. You never apply for the £100 through us. We will never contact you about the payment. Only your council will. GOV.UK says: “Nobody other than your council should get in touch asking you to claim the rebate. Only give out your personal information if you are certain it is your local council contacting you. If you’re unsure whether a message is genuine, double check with your council.”
£100 Household Energy Payment: the key facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much? | £100, paid once. MHCLG calls it “a one-off payment for this financial year”. |
| Who gets it? | Households in council tax bands A, B, C or D who live in the home as their main home and are liable for its council tax |
| Where? | England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland get funding to decide their own support |
| When? | From January 2027 |
| Who pays it? | Your local council, through the council tax system |
| Do I apply? | No, if you pay by direct debit. Otherwise your council will invite you to apply |
| How many people? | Up to 20 million households; £2.6 billion in total |
| Not in band A–D? | Councils get a £100 million discretionary fund for people who miss out but need help |
Is the £100 Household Energy Payment the same as the council tax rebate?
Yes. The Budget lists it as “Household Energy Payment: £100 council tax rebate for bands A-D from January 2027”, and DESNZ calls it “the rebate” throughout. It isn’t the 2022 £150 council tax rebate, which has ended. If you search for the “£100 council tax rebate”, this is the payment you mean.
Who is eligible for the £100 payment?
GOV.UK says households in England are eligible “if they are liable for council tax on, and live in, a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home.” That breaks down like this:
| Your situation | Do you get the £100? |
|---|---|
| You live in a band A–D home in England as your main home and pay its council tax | Yes |
| You live in a band A–D home and are exempt from council tax | Most likely yes: GOV.UK says the scheme “will include most households exempt from council tax”. The full rules are still to come |
| You get Council Tax Reduction (Council Tax Support) | Not addressed separately yet: check the full criteria when they’re published |
| Your home is in band E, F, G or H | No, but you may get help from your council’s discretionary fund |
| It’s a second home or holiday home | No |
| The property is empty | No |
| Someone else, such as your landlord, is responsible for the council tax | No: GOV.UK excludes “households where the householder isn’t responsible for paying council tax” |
| You live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland | Not this scheme: see the devolved nations |
DESNZ says full eligibility criteria will be published “in due course”, and MHCLG says detailed guidance for councils, including eligibility, will follow “shortly”. We’ll update this page when it does.
Do I need to apply for the £100 energy payment?
- You pay council tax by direct debit: no. GOV.UK says “you don’t need to do anything – the rebate will be paid directly into your bank account.”
- You pay another way (for example cash, card or standing order): “your council will invite you to apply for the rebate directly.” Wait for your council to write to you, or check its website.
- You’re exempt from council tax: most exempt households are expected to be included. Your council will explain how you’ll be paid once the guidance is published.
You never apply through a grants website, an energy supplier or a company that texts you. There is no fee and nothing to “unlock”.
When will I get the £100?
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 28 October 2026 | Announced in the Budget. MHCLG writes to every council in England the same day |
| Coming weeks | The government publishes detailed guidance for councils, including the full eligibility rules and how payments are made |
| From January 2027 | Councils start paying. Direct-debit households are paid automatically; others are invited to apply |
| 31 March 2027 | End of the 2026/27 financial year. MHCLG calls the £100 “a one-off payment for this financial year”. We had not seen a council application deadline when we checked on 30 October 2026 |
Each council runs its own payments, so dates will differ between areas. Your council’s website is the place to check. You can find it with GOV.UK’s Find your local council tool, or on our council energy grants pages.
How to check your council tax band
Use GOV.UK’s free Check your Council Tax band service. You only need your postcode. Your band is also printed on your council tax bill.
In England, bands are based on what a home would have sold for on 1 April 1991, not what it’s worth today:
| Band | Value on 1 April 1991 | £100 payment? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to £40,000 | Yes |
| B | £40,001 to £52,000 | Yes |
| C | £52,001 to £68,000 | Yes |
| D | £68,001 to £88,000 | Yes |
| E to H | Over £88,000 | No (discretionary fund only) |
Checking your band is free. You never need to pay a company to do it.
Not in band A–D? The £100 million discretionary fund
The government accepts that “not all households struggling with their energy bills live in bands A to D.” So the Budget gives councils in England an extra £100 million to help households who don’t qualify for the £100, including some in higher bands.
- Your council sets the rules for who gets help from this fund.
- Your council will publish how to apply on its website “once local arrangements are in place”.
- If you’re unsure, GOV.UK says to contact your council directly.
- Separately, councils in England run the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which replaced the Household Support Fund, for people in a financial crisis.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The £100 Household Energy Payment is England only. GOV.UK says Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland “will receive additional funding, and their governments will decide how best to use it to provide similar support based on local needs.” The Budget says this funding comes through the Barnett formula.
No Scottish, Welsh or Northern Ireland scheme had been announced when we checked on 30 October 2026. For the support that is open now, see energy grants in Scotland and energy grants in Wales.
The £100 payment and the £150 Warm Home Discount
These are two different schemes, run in different ways:
| £100 Household Energy Payment | £150 Warm Home Discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Council tax bands A–D | People on certain means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or income-related ESA |
| Where | England | England, Wales and Scotland (not Northern Ireland) |
| Who pays it | Your council | Your electricity supplier |
| How you get it | Into your bank account (direct debit) or by applying when your council invites you | Taken off your electricity bill, usually automatically |
| When | From January 2027 | Letters late October 2026 to early January 2027; discount applied by 31 March 2027 |
DESNZ’s Budget guide says people on means-tested benefits may also be eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount. Read our £150 Warm Home Discount guide to check if you qualify.
How to spot a £100 energy payment scam
Scammers use new payments to trick people, so be careful. A message is almost certainly a scam if it:
- comes from anyone other than your council, such as an energy company, a “grants team” or a website;
- asks you to click a link to claim or to “register” for the £100;
- asks for your bank card details, PIN or password;
- asks for a fee, or says the money will be lost if you don’t act today.
If you get one: don’t reply or click. GOV.UK says to forward scam texts to 7726 (free) and scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. If you’ve lost money in England or Wales, contact Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101), and call your bank straight away. If you’re not sure a letter is real, phone your council on the number on its website or your council tax bill, not a number in the message.
What else can band A–D homes get now?
The £100 helps with bills this winter. If your home is cold or expensive to heat, these schemes can cut your bills for good. They are separate from the £100 and have their own rules:
- Warm Homes: Local Grant: free insulation, solar panels or a heat pump in England for privately owned homes with an EPC of D to G, where your council has funding, where the household earns about £36,000 or less, gets a qualifying benefit or lives in a low-income postcode. Run by councils, and some councils are full for 2026/27.
- ECO4: insulation and heating for people on means-tested benefits, through energy suppliers, until it ends on 31 December 2026.
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: £7,500 off an air or ground source heat pump in England and Wales, with no income test. Homes replacing oil or LPG with no mains gas get £9,000 until 31 March 2027.
- Warm Homes Loan: government-backed loans for solar panels, batteries and heat pumps, some interest-free, for homeowners who pass the lender’s credit and affordability checks.
- Council tax band energy grants: our full guide to every grant homes in bands A–D can still claim.
How the 2022 £150 council tax rebate worked
This isn’t the first payment like this. In February 2022 the government announced a £150 council tax rebate for homes in bands A to D in England, with a separate £144 million discretionary fund. GOV.UK said then that “the payment process will be managed by local councils rather than central government.” The 2027 payment uses the same council tax system, so your council is again the only one who can pay it.
Other energy bill changes in the Budget
The £100 is one of several energy measures announced on 28 October 2026:
- 0% VAT on household electricity extended to 1 July 2027. The Budget expects it to take about £50 off the annual price cap in April 2027.
- Gas standing charges: the government has asked Ofgem to remove them, aiming for the end of 2027 or as soon as possible after.
- Energy debt: a one-off Debt Relief Scheme for eligible households is due to launch next year. Ofgem will consult on the design.
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme kept at £400 million in 2027–28, so the £7,500 heat pump grant carries on.
Read the full list in our Budget 2026 energy guide.
£100 Household Energy Payment: common questions
Who gets the £100 Household Energy Payment?
Households in England who live in a home in council tax bands A to D as their main home and are liable for its council tax. GOV.UK says this “will include most households exempt from council tax”, with the full rules to come. Second homes, empty properties and households where the householder isn’t responsible for the council tax are not eligible.
When will I get the £100 energy payment?
From January 2027. The government says payments will be made “from January 2027” and councils are “expected to begin making payments from January 2027”. Your council will set its own timetable, so the exact date can differ from area to area.
Do I need to apply for the £100?
Not if you pay council tax by direct debit and live in band A to D: GOV.UK says “you don’t need to do anything” and the money will be paid into your bank account. If you don’t pay by direct debit, your council will invite you to apply. You never apply through a website like this one.
Is the £100 taken off my council tax bill?
The government calls it a “rebate”. If you pay by direct debit, DESNZ says it “will be paid directly into your bank account”. How people who don’t pay by direct debit will get it hasn’t been set out yet: that will be in guidance for councils, which the government says is coming “shortly”.
Is the £100 payment available in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
The £100 scheme applies in England only. The Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive will get extra funding and will decide how to provide similar support. Watch your own government’s announcements.
I’m in band E or above. Can I get anything?
Possibly. The Budget gives councils an extra £100 million discretionary fund for households struggling with energy bills who don’t qualify for the £100, some of them in bands above A–D. Each council sets its own rules and will publish how to apply on its website once local arrangements are in place.
Can I get the £100 and the £150 Warm Home Discount?
Nothing announced stops you getting both. They are separate schemes with separate rules. The £100 is paid by your council to band A–D homes. The £150 Warm Home Discount comes off your electricity bill if you get certain means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit or Universal Credit. DESNZ’s Budget guide says people on means-tested benefits may also be eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount.
Someone texted me about claiming my £100. Is it real?
Treat it as a scam unless you are sure it is from your council. GOV.UK says: “Nobody other than your council should get in touch asking you to claim the rebate.” Don’t click links or give bank details. Forward scam texts to 7726 and scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Is the £100 council tax rebate the same as the Household Energy Payment?
Yes. The Budget describes the Household Energy Payment as a “£100 council tax rebate for bands A-D from January 2027”. It is paid by councils through the council tax system.
Is the £100 a loan, or do I have to pay it back?
No. It is a one-off payment, not a loan. The government’s letter to councils calls it “a one-off payment for this financial year”.
Is Great British Energy Guide running the £100 payment?
No. We are an independent grants guide. We are not the government, your council or the government-owned Great British Energy company. You can’t apply for the £100 through us, and we will never contact you about it.