Letters and timing
Image credits: A post box in Kings Mede, A calendar, Brampton Street in the snow. All photos: Wikimedia Commons, freely licensed.
For winter 2026/27, the timetable is fixed and worth putting in your diary. Letters began arriving on 22 October 2026 and continue through to January 2027. If your letter asks you to call the helpline, you must do so before 26 February 2027. Suppliers apply the discounts over the winter, and the scheme year ends on 31 March 2027. Missing the February deadline is the one mistake that cannot be fixed afterwards, so this page is the one to read carefully.
The winter 2026/27 timetable
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 23 August 2026 | Qualifying date: eligibility is fixed on this day |
| 22 October 2026 | Confirmation letters start arriving in England and Wales |
| October 2026 – January 2027 | Letters continue to arrive |
| Early January 2027 | If you think you qualify and have had no letter, contact the helpline or your supplier |
| 26 February 2027 | Deadline to call the helpline if your letter asks you to |
| By 31 March 2027 | Suppliers apply the discounts; the scheme year ends |
The two kinds of letter
Most households receive a confirmation letter. It says you will get the discount automatically and you need do nothing — the £150 will be applied to your bill by your supplier. A smaller number receive a different letter saying you are potentially eligible but the government needs more information to confirm it. That letter asks you to call the Warm Home Discount helpline, and it gives the number to use. The distinction matters: the first letter needs no action, the second needs action before 26 February 2027. Read yours to the end rather than assuming which kind it is, and keep it even after the discount appears — it is your proof if anything goes wrong.
Prepayment meters and timing
If you use a prepayment meter, the timing can feel different, because the credit may arrive as a voucher rather than as a line on a bill. Watch your post for a voucher, and check texts and your supplier's app as well, since suppliers use different routes. Vouchers can have their own expiry dates, so use one promptly when it arrives rather than leaving it in a drawer. If you expected a voucher and nothing has arrived by late winter, contact your supplier with your letter to hand and ask them to trace it.
Sources: GOV.UK, Warm Home Discount scheme guidance and the Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) and (Scotland) Regulations; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Continuing the Warm Home Discount Scheme government response and impact assessment (2026/27 to 2030/31); GOV.UK news, Households to receive £150 Warm Home Discount confirmation letter (22 October 2026); Ofgem scheme guidance.