British Gas handing people who claim six DWP benefits free £150 payment

British Gas is handing people who claim six benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) a free £150 payment. The Warm Home Discount was first introduced by the Government in April 2011 to help eligible customers in England, Scotland and Wales with their energy bills during the winter. It’s there to provide support for those living on low incomes or pensions.

If you qualify for the winter 2024/25 payment, you will have your one-off £150 discount applied by the end of March next year at the latest. British Gas said: "The discount will be added to your electricity account as a credit. And if you're on Pay as you go, we'll send you a voucher you can use to top up your meter at a Post Office.

"If you're one of our Pay As You Go smart meter customers, we'll even send it directly to your meter as a credit and send you an email to let you know it's on there. If we can't get it directly to your meter as quickly as we'd like, we'll send you a voucher to top up from a Post Office. That way you'll still get your discount as soon as possible.

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"With a Pay as you go smart meter it's easier to see how much energy you use in pounds and pence and you can top up from wherever you like, whenever you like." The eligibility requirements for the Warm Home Discount are the same as last year.

To qualify, you need to claim either the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit or a different 'qualifying benefit.' The six benefits are Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit or Universal Credit.

The Government decide which customers who receive Pension Credits are eligible, and if you are one of them, will write to you. Payments will be made by 31 March 2025.