homeheatingadvice.scot

FAQs

Check our most commonly asked questions

Yes. The Scottish Government’s Emergency Heating Oil Scheme is a new fund which helps people on lower incomes pay for heating oil or LPG. 

£300 will be sent to your supplier if you qualify.

The fund is open from April 1. It will run no later than September 30 or until the fund runs out.

You can apply if all the following apply to you:

 

  • Your home is heated by oil or LPG.
  • You pay the fuel bill for your home.
  • The home is your main or only home.
  • You’ve placed an order for fuel after 1 April but not paid for it OR you’re planning to place an order shortly
  • No one at your address has had an award in the last 3 months.

To process your application, we require evidence in the following areas:

 

  • Eligible benefits
  • Proof of income – recent bank statements or payslips
  • Energy bill – a current utility bill in your name
  • Health condition – documentation confirming any relevant health conditions

 

Please ensure all documents are up to date and clearly show your name and relevant details.

If you get any of the benefits below, you should automatically qualify:

  • Universal Credit
  • Scottish Child Payment (as part of UC)(means-tested – not the same as Child Benefit)
  • Housing Benefit
  • Income Support
  • Income‑based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income‑based Employment and Support Allowance
  • Pension Credit

Important:
The Scottish Child Payment is a means-tested benefit, which means it depends on your income.

 

Child Benefit is a UK‑wide payment for anyone responsible for a child while Scottish Child Payment is extra money for low‑income families in Scotland, paid on top of other benefits.

 

Essentially, Child Benefit does not count when considering whether or not you qualify.

You may still qualify under a discretionary decision, meaning the fund can help you if:

  • You are in financial hardship,
  • You are at risk of cutting back on heat because of cost,
  • AND you have at least one additional vulnerability, such as:

Health‑related or personal needs

  • A long‑term illness or medical condition
  • Disability
  • A child under 5 or an adult over 75 in the home
  • Recent hospital discharge
  • End‑of‑life care
  • Mental health challenges

Other vulnerabilities

  • Living in a very rural or remote area
  • Debt
  • Waiting for a benefit claim or appeal decision
  • A recent major life event (e.g., bereavement)

If any of these apply, you can still ask for support.

You can check your benefit entitlement here.

Financial hardship is a situation where a person struggles to meet basic financial obligations and essential living costs due to limited income or unexpected expenses.

 

This means not having enough money to cover:

  • Rent or mortgage
  • Utilities (gas & electricity, council tax)
  • Food and groceries
  • Transport costs
  • Debt repayments
Common causes:
  • Loss of income (job loss, reduced hours)
  • Unexpected expenses (medical bills, car repairs)
  • High debt levels (0% interest deals ending)
  • Economic downturns or rising cost of living
 
Signs of financial hardship:
  • Missing payments
  • Relying on credit to supplement income for essentials
  • Using savings just to get by
  • Facing risk of eviction, repossession, or service disconnection
 
Examples of financial hardship include energy bills showing electricity debt, arrears letters, evidence of council tax debt and banks statements showing repeated use of an overdraft facility. 
 
If you’re in debt or struggling with costs and not sure where to turn, visit moneyadvice.scot.

You can receive one payment every 3 calendar months.

For example, if you were paid in April, you can apply again in July if still eligible.

Yes – you must show that you placed an order for fuel after 1 April 2026 but not paid for it OR you are planning to place an order shortly.

 

This helps ensure the payment is supporting heating needs.

This fund is only for homes that use heating oil or LPG.

If you use mains gas, electricity, biomass, coal, or other fuels, you will not qualify for this specific scheme.

You can apply via the website, telephone and post.

No, this payment is not a loan and should not affect your benefits.

Reach out to us at moneyadvice.scot or call 0808 196 2316.

Visit energyadvice.scot or call 0808 196 8660.

Yes, applications can be submitted on behalf of someone else via the application form.

The fund is limited, so we need to make sure it reaches the most vulnerable households.

If we have all the necessary evidence, it will take around 5 days to process, and an additional 5 days to reach your oil or LPG account.

No. Only domestic and residential applicants can apply.

In most cases. you will need to contact your supplier and arrange payment of the balance.

No, not within a 3 month period.

What evidence do households need to prove they receive Universal Credit?

Households should be able to provide one of the following:

  • Online UC Journal Statement
    • Claimants can log in to their UC online account.
    • Under the ‘Payments’ section, they can view their monthly statement, showing their award and how it was calculated.
    • This can be downloaded as a PDF or printed.
  • UC Telephone Claimants
    • Some claimants who manage UC by phone do not receive automatic monthly statements.
    • They may need to call the UC helpline to request a posted statement.

Is UC only available for low income or does it cover other areas?

 
UC is means-tested, so entitlement depends on household income. The threshold for entitlement varies depending on household circumstances. A typical UC claim will be built up based on things like the number of adults, children, housing costs, caring responsibilities, etc. Then, this total entitlement is reduced by things like earnings from employment, pensions, savings, etc. 
 
This means that UC is only available to those on low incomes, if income is too high, then there will be no UC entitlement. However, there is no specific amount of earnings that would be classed as ‘too high’, it varies depending on the individual household.
 

What evidence would we expect a household to have easy access to in order to prove they receive a benefit. What would it look like and where would they find it?

 
Those in receipt of UC will either have an online journal or a receive a letter informing them of their entitlement. They should receive this as a monthly statement. 
 
Journal: Log in online, under the ‘payments’ section, there will be a monthly statement showing the last payment amount and how this was calculated. This can be saved as a PDF or printed.
 
Telephone: Some telephone claimants do not automatically receive a monthly statement via post. These claimants may need to call the UC helpline to request a statement be posted to them. 
 
Any other benefits, aside from UC, claimants should receive a letter after applying which states that they have been awarded the benefit, from which date, and the amount of the payment. 
 
I would say we could accept proof of UC entitlement or an initial award letter for other benefits as evidence.
 

What would they be marked as on a bank statement – e.g. for State Pension it reads DWP-SP

On bank statements, UC typically appears as a series of numbers and letters, followed by DWP-UC. This is different from other DWP benefits as typically it would be the claimants National Insurance number followed by the ‘DWP-relevant benefit’ format. The letters and numbers for UC are usually linked to a dynamic claimant number, which customers wouldn’t need to know.

For other benefits, claimants receive an award letter stating:

  • the benefit awarded
  • the start date
  • the payment amount

These award letters can be used as acceptable proof.