23 August 2026 is the qualifying date for this winter's Warm Home Discount. Whichever supplier is providing your electricity on that specific day is the one responsible for paying you the £150, and that snapshot is what the whole scheme hangs on.
Switching afterwards doesn't cost you the £150
This is the part that stops people acting, and it's based on a misunderstanding. The obligation attaches to your supplier on the qualifying date. Once 23 August has passed, you can switch supplier freely and the payment still follows you — your old supplier remains liable for it.
What you should not do is switch in the next few days and assume it'll be fine. A switch that completes across the qualifying date can leave genuine ambiguity about which supplier held you on the day. If you're planning to move, either complete well before the 23rd or simply start after it.
Around 2.7 million more households qualify this year
The property-cost test has been scrapped for 2026/27. In England and Wales, Core Group 2 eligibility now rests on receiving a qualifying means-tested benefit alone, rather than that plus an assessment of your property's characteristics. That change pulls roughly 2.7 million additional households into scope.
In England and Wales it's automatic — DWP writes to eligible households between 20 October and 31 December. In Scotland, the Core Group is automatic but the Broader Group requires an application to your supplier, and those open and close on the supplier's own timetable.
When you're paid
The £150 is applied as credit to your electricity account between November 2026 and 31 March 2027. It's a credit against your bill rather than a cash payment — unless you're on a prepayment meter, in which case it's issued as a voucher or applied directly to the meter depending on your supplier.
Full detail on eligibility, the Scottish application process and what to do if the payment doesn't arrive is in our Warm Home Discount guide. Source: GOV.UK — Warm Home Discount Scheme.
The full explainer on this subject: Warm Home Discount guide. More updates on our energy news page.