Home heating oil support

Eligibility 

You may be eligible for the scheme if you use home heating oil as your main heating source and for at least one day of either qualifying period, you were: 

• a resident in Northern Ireland 

and

• getting a qualifying benefit or you were a single person or a couple, including pensioners, with an annual income below £30,000 (this is the total net annual income you get after tax, national insurance or pension contributions have been taken off)

Qualifying benefits include:

• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment 
• the Constant Attendance Allowance element of Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit
• the Constant Attendance Allowance or Mobility Supplement element of the War Pension Scheme

If you are getting any benefits, a home heating oil support voucher will not affect your benefit claim. 

If you fill in a self-assessment tax return, it will not count as income.

Qualifying period

The qualifying period is any day between Wednesday 1 April and Thursday 30 April 2026. 

There will be a second qualifying period which will be any day between Sunday 1 November and Monday 30 November 2026. 

You may not be eligible for the scheme if for the whole of the qualifying period, you are:

• a nursing home resident
• a care home resident
• a hospital in-patient
• a prisoner
• outside of Northern Ireland 

Applying online

Awards for the home heating oil support scheme will not be made automatically. 

You will need to apply online at this page.

Applications to the scheme will open on 9 September and will close on 31 March 2027.

If you are applying as part of a couple, or live in a multiple occupancy home, only one person should apply.

If you need support to apply, there will be a helpline available, or you can get help at your local Jobs & Benefits office.  

Questions about the scheme

The Department for Communities is responsible for this scheme. 

More information about the scheme will be available from 9 September. 

If you have any other queries about the scheme, you can contact the department through their feedback form at: Feedback - Department for Communities .

Information you will need to apply 

To apply online you'll need your:

• National Insurance number
• own/ joint income details if you are not getting one of the qualifying benefits
• contact email address or smartphone number 

After applying, you may need to give more evidence to show:

• the address on your application form is your main home
• oil is the main heat source of your home
• your income

Protect yourself from scams

nidirect is the only official website you can use to apply to the home heating oil support scheme. 

You will never be asked for your bank details or to pay an amount of money to make a claim to the oil support scheme.

If you get a message like this, it may be a scam. 

You should report any suspicious emails or text messages asking for your bank details.