Energy costs: Government releases dates around £600 payment

The government has suggested the £600 energy support payment for customers will be distributed by the supply companies householders are registered with on 2 January, 2023.

People in Northern Ireland will start to receive a single, one-off payment starting later in January.

The exact date is currently not known.

The money, part of a UK-wide energy payment scheme, has been delayed in Northern Ireland.

It is intended to help with energy bills but people can use the money as they see fit.

The payment is being delivered by the UK government in the absence of Stormont.

Vouchers will be sent to those who pay quarterly or who use a prepayment meter – thought to be about 500,000 households in Northern Ireland.

These vouchers can be redeemed for cash or paid into a bank account.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has outlined some key dates for the payment in a document.

The document includes a “voucher validity period” running from issue of the voucher until 31 March.

This suggests that all vouchers will have been issued in advance of that date and must have been cashed by then.

The scheme end date is 30 June.

The document also states that a “dry run” has been carried out.

The dates for the dry-run were 11 December, with data provided on 13 December.

This was to test the ability of the network operator (NIE Networks) to get meter data to the suppliers and allow suppliers to get a good estimate of how many people use each payment method.

The government will release funds to the suppliers no later than six working days after they have received certain governance assurances.

For more details, go to the government’s information page on the payment scheme.