Welsh households on universal credit and other benefits can get £200 to help with energy bills – check if you're eligible and how to apply

The extra help for struggling households in Wales is available in addition to the existing support for households throughout Great Britain, including the £400 discount on energy bills and £650 cost of living payments. 

The measures come as energy prices are set to hit £2,500 a year on typical use from Saturday 1 October, under the Government's new cap.

For further support with your energy bills – including if you live outside of Wales – see our full Energy bill help guide. 

Check if you're eligible for the Welsh winter fuel support scheme

You can apply to the scheme if you're responsible for paying the energy bills (regardless of the payment method) and if either you or your partner get any of the following benefits between 1 September 2022 and 31 January 2023:

• Armed Forces independence payment

• Attendance allowance

• Carers allowance

• Child tax credits

• Constant attendance allowance

• Contributory benefits

• Council tax reduction scheme (CTRS)

• Disability living allowance (DLA)

• Employment and support allowance

• Income support

• Income-based jobseeker's allowance

• Pension credit

• Personal independence payment (PIP)

• Universal credit

• War pension mobility supplement

• Working tax credits

If you're not currently getting any benefits, use our 10-minute benefits check to ensure you're not missing out on vital support.

You can also apply if you don't get any benefits but someone living with you, for example, a dependent child, gets any of the following:

• Armed Forces independence payment

• Attendance allowance

• Constant attendance allowance

• Disability living allowance (DLA)

• Personal independence payment (PIP)

• War pension mobility supplement

If you got the payment last year, you can apply again for this year.

How to apply

You can apply online through your local authority's website from now until 28 February 2023 – to help, we've listed each council's application page below.

The payment should be made directly into your bank account by 31 March 2023

If you're eligible, the £200 should be paid directly into your bank account – though councils have been given discretion on this and some could choose to pay it by cheque or another method instead.

Councils have been given until 31 March 2023 to issue all payments, but you may get it before then as the Welsh Government has encouraged councils to make payments "as soon as practically possible".

Energy supplier grants and other support with energy bills you may be able to get – in England, Scotland and Wales

As well as the Welsh winter fuel support scheme, there is other help available across England, Scotland and Wales:

• Almost all households will get £400 this winter to help with rising energy bills. For most, the grant will be automatic, paid by your supplier between October 2022 and March 2023. However, those on non-smart prepayment meters will have to take action to get the money, as for some it will be paid in the form of energy vouchers. See our £400 energy discount MSE News story for more info.

• Those on certain means-tested benefits will get an extra £650 this year. This will come in two payments, the first of which has already been paid to most of those eligible. See What to do if you haven't got the cost of living payment.

• You could qualify for an energy supplier grant. Many of the major energy suppliers are providing grants – in some cases worth thousands – to households experiencing financial difficulties. EDF, E.on Next and Octopus are among those offering support to their own customers, while British Gas's hardship scheme is available to customers of other suppliers too. See more on how to access these grants in our Energy supplier grants MSE News story.

• See if you qualify for other energy bill grants and discounts. For example, millions of people on lower incomes can get the £150 warm home discount from October, while those over state pension age can get up to £600 through the winter fuel payment from November. Our Energy bills help guide has a full list of payments you may be able to get.

• Check if you can get help from your council. Under the Household Support Fund, local authorities in England have access to a pool of £1 billion in funding to help those most in need. Eligibility varies, as it's up to councils to decide, but generally the grant is for vulnerable households, and those in most need of support. To find out what your council offers and whether you might qualify for support, and to apply, contact your council as soon as you can, as funding could run out at any time.