I Can’t Pay My Bills
If you are struggling to pay basic bills or know someone who would welcome information on how they can mange their bills better we hope you find the information below useful.
Gas and Electricity
Trouble paying your gas or electricity bill?
Have a recent copy of your bill for details of your provider.
What can your energy supplier offer?
Payments in installments
Options to switch to a better tariff
Option to switch to a pre-pay meter
Gas and electricity suppliers often have support funds available:
· Ovo Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the Ovo Energy Fund website
· E.ON Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Energy Fund website
· E.ON Next Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Next Energy Fund website
· EDF Energy Customer Support Fund - apply for a grant on the EDF Energy Customer Support Fund website
· Bulb Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the Bulb Energy Fund website
Citizens Advice have more information about what to do if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills.
Prepayment Meters
If you have a prepayment energy meter, your supplier will try to help you find ways to keep your energy supply connected if you can’t top up your meter because of the Coronavirus. Tell your supplier as soon as possible if you can’t top up. You’ll find their contact details on their website or on your bill.
Energy companies have promised to help you if you have a pre-payment meter. So you may be able to authorise a friend to top up your energy card for you.
You could also ask your supplier to send you a card by post which is already topped up. The government says that if it's urgent the supplier should be able to add credit directly to your account. You should be able to top up online as well.
And you will have to pay back any credit your supplier gives you. So you should contact them to ask about when and how to do this.
Check out Citizens Advice’s guidance on what to do if:
Government Schemes
You may be eligible for government schemes and benefits:
The Warm Home Discount is £140 off your electricity bills if you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit. You might also qualify if you have a low income.
The Cold Weather Payment is £25 for each seven days between November and April that it’s below 0°C. Certain benefits qualify you for this.
The Winter Fuel Payment is between £100 and £300 if you’re born before 5th October 1954. You may get this automatically if you are getting state pension.
Household Support Fund to help vulnerable households during the winter. Contact your local council for advice on accessing the fund.
Fuel Direct Scheme – for those on benefits or low incomes – speak to the jobcentre for more info
Water
If you can’t pay your water bill, again it’s best to speak to your water company as soon as you realise you may have problems paying your bill. Citizen’s advice have more guidance on what to do if you’re struggling to pay your water bill.
If you are on benefits you can also consider the Watersure or Waterdirect schemes.
Watersure is a scheme for those who are on benefits and may need to use a lot of water due to having a number of children or due to a medical condition (e.g eczema).
Waterdirect is for those who need help managing their bills - this will come out of your benefit payment.
Switch Your Energy Supplier!
Switching to another provider can sometimes offer you a better deal - checking out a few comparison sites can give you an idea if it’s going to be worthwhile.
It’s possible to switch providers even if you’re in arrears to get a better tariff. Check the Ofgem website for info
By switching gas and electricity providers you may be able to save yourself up to £400 a year.
Some price comparison sites are:
Please note that changing your energy providers will NOT mean you’re energy and electricity will be turned off!
Council Tax
Struggling with council tax? Speak to your local authority.
Council tax is a local tax that is based on the property size, age and location.
Each valuation band is based on the value of the home on 1 April 1991 – When a house is sold it might be reassessed but there is a chance that the property you are in might not have been reassessed recently so could have changed band.
Be aware that bands can go up as well as down. If they go down you can sometimes get some money back from what you have paid in the past.
Bands range from A – H ( A being the lowest and H being the highest)
You can find out what band your property is here: https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands this proves that your property should change band compared to the bands of those around you.
If you think you are in the wrong band - Challenge your council tax band
There are some exemptions to council tax
Certain properties e.g. an empty property
Residents under the age of 18
There are also some situations where you might be eligible to pay less council tax:
You have no or low income
You are disabled
You live alone
Check your status with citizens advice here
Grants and Alternative Support
If after looking through all you bills and expenditure and you’re still struggling to pay your bills, there are some alternative forms of support:
Speak to your council to apply: Find my council
On ACTS 435, an ‘advocate’ (basically a sponsor) can crowdfund some money for you to help you through a difficult period. The website has a really high success rate of grants and things it usually cover are bills but you can take a look to see what else is there on the website.
This is a search engine where you can essentially look for charitable grants that you might be eligible for, there are many for those specifically struggling with the financial implications of the Coronavirus. They cover things such as your bill payments for a month or two or even some grants to help with re-training and education!
Muslim grant platform which can help you with basic costs – like food, travel, clothing and monthly bills. It could also help you with small debts – for money owed on credit cards, bank loans, and gas and electricity bills.
This trust will support people from any energy company.
Here is a database of support (previously known as Let’s Talk)