If you're falling behind with your energy bills, and finding yourself struggling to pay, the best thing to do is contact your supplier as soon as possible. Under rules from regulator Ofgem, your supplier has to help you – usually by negotiating a payment plan that you can afford.

So don't panic – your supply won't be cut off. Due to ongoing additional support measures put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, disconnections of standard credit meters have been suspended.

There are a range of options suppliers could offer if you're struggling, including:

• A full payment plan review
• Affordable debt repayment plans
• Payment breaks (though this won't be right for everyone)
• Payment reductions
• More time to pay
• Access to hardship funds

What help you can get is decided on a a case-by-case basis, but importantly, repayment must be based on your ability to pay. So get in touch with your supplier as soon as possible

On prepay and struggling to pay? Your supplier must help as well

If you prepay for your energy, and you find yourself struggling to top up and facing self-disconnection, there's also plenty of help available from your supplier – so do contact it as soon as you start to get in trouble. Here's what they will do:

• All suppliers offer small amounts of emergency credit. You'll usually get £5 of emergency credit on your gas and electricity meter (£5 on each meter) that you can access through your meter. The option to use it usually becomes available when you've little money left on your meter (usually about less than 50p for electricity, or £2 for gas).
  
  How you access it depends on your meter, either by entering the card or clicking a button when the option pops up – your supplier will be able tell you how it works for your meter. You will need to pay this back when next you top up.
  
  
• Friendly credit means you can't be cut off in certain times if your meter runs out. Friendly credit is there to protect you if you start running out of credit when the shops are closed. It means you won't be cut off, and can keep using gas and electricity if you run out of credit during evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
  
  Times can vary slightly by supplier and season, but generally, you won't be cut off between about 6pm and 9am Monday to Saturday, all day Sunday, and on bank holidays. You'll need to pay back anything you've used during this time the next time you top up.
  
  
• Additional support credit is available to some if you can't afford to top up. If you can't afford to top up and you're facing self-disconnection through being unable to keep enough money on the meter, you may be able to get additional support credit (or extra support credit).
  What you can get, how this works and if you're eligible will depend on your supplier, so speak to it as soon as possible.
  
  In general, additional support credit is usually for those in vulnerable situations (such as those of state pension age, or with a disability or long-term medical condition). It's also up to the supplier to assess how much additional credit you'll get and to work with you to come up with a repayment plan, based on your ability to pay.
  
  But even if you're not in a vulnerable situation, your supplier could still help if you're unable to top up. It may still be able to offer support credit, or can review any debts you may be paying off through your meter, or give you access to hardship funds. It's all done on a case-by-case bases, so do get in touch with your supplier as soon as possible.

What's more, regulator Ofgem has strengthened protections for prepayment customers, requiring suppliers to proactively identify and contact customers that have self-disconnected due to being unable to afford to top up. This includes support for repaying any outstanding standing charges.

Most energy suppliers offer hardship funds if you're in debt

All the big energy firms have charitable trusts and funds that can help if you're in debt and struggling to repay. They offer schemes and grants to help with your energy costs, to replace faulty or old boilers, and to make your home more energy-efficient.

Help is available from the following firms: British Gas Energy Trust / EDF Energy Customer Support Fund / E.on Energy Fund / E.on Next Energy Fund / Ovo Energy Fund / Octo Assist Fund / Scottish Power Hardship Fund.

However, be aware you'll usually need to be a customer of the firm to apply, and the application process for help with energy debt is fairly rigorous (a few charities may be able to help with the process if you're struggling). Firstly, you need to have spoken to a debt adviser before applying. You'll need to complete a full income and expenditure budget sheet. You'll also need to provide proof of your income, plus give details on how your arrears have built up – for example, due to illness or redundancy – and say how the grant will help you. It can take several weeks to process your claim.

Exact eligibility requirements vary – some say you need to be in receipt of certain benefits for example – but those with the greatest need are prioritised on a case-by-case basis.

Households to get up £350 help this year to help with rising energy prices

Households in England, Wales and Scotland are to get up to £350 of Government support to soften the blow of rocketing energy prices. This includes: 

• A £200 rebate loan in October to all households. You'll get an automatic £200 discount on your bills, regardless of what tariff you're on. And from April 2023 you'll have a £40/year levy added to bills to effectively repay the discount. For full info, see Martin's video explainer.
  
  
• A £150 council tax rebate in April to all households in England, Scotland and Wales for those in bands A to D. How it works exactly depends on where you live – see our news stories for full info on the schemes in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland? It will receive a total of £100 million in funding to be able to put its own scheme in place, but we don't yet know exactly what it'll do with it though.

• A £144 million discretionary fund for councils aimed at those on low incomes who don't qualify for help due to their council tax band. This is to help those on low incomes who don't qualify for the £150 support above because, for example, they're exempt from council tax. See discretionary fund info.

We've full info on all the new measures in our Chancellor unveils £350 in support for households news story for more. 

Check if you can get £150 towards energy bills each winter with the warm home discount

The Warm Home Discount scheme requires suppliers with more than 50,000 customers to help vulnerable people in the UK pay for their energy over the winter. 

If you've a standard credit meter, the money isn't paid to you – it's a £150 rebate applied to your electricity or gas bill between October and March. If you're on a prepay meter, you'll usually be sent a top-up voucher. 

Following a recent shake-up of the Warm Home Discount, the money is paid automatically – previously, some had to apply to get it. You should get it if you qualify under the following criteria:

• If you get pension credit, you should get it automatically. If you or your partner receive the 'guarantee credit' element of pension credit, and your name (or your partner's) is on your energy bill, you should be eligible for the discount under what's known as 'core group 1'. 
  
  Provided your energy supplier is part of the scheme (see the full list below), you should receive a letter (usually sent between October and December) confirming when the £150 will be deducted from your electricity bill. The letter may also ask you to contact the Warm Home Discount helpline to confirm your details. The helpline can also be used if you need assistance, or if you've not received your letter. Call 0800 731 0214. 

• On certain benefits? You should get the discount automatically – if you're deemed to have 'high energy costs'. If you don't qualify for the above, you may still get the discount automatically if you're in receipt of certain benefits (such as Universal Credit and Income support) and your home has 'high energy costs' (see full eligibility criteria below), under what's known as 'core group 2'.
  
  If you're eligible, and providing your supplier is part of the scheme, you should receive a letter confirming when the £150 will deducted from your bill. The Government has also said it is looking into providing an online tool to allow people to check their eligibility. 

  If there's someone aged 66 or older in the home, you could get up to £300 with the winter fuel payment

  Every household with someone born on or before 26 September 1955 is entitled to help towards their winter energy costs. Under the Government's winter fuel payment scheme, provided you lived in the UK for at lease one day between 20 and 26 September 2021, then regardless of income, you can grab a one-off, tax-free winter fuel payment of between £100 and £300.

  It should have been paid automatically by the end of December. If not, check full eligibility info in winter fuel payment help.

  Older people and those on certain benefits could get £25 during freezing weather

  Under the cold weather payment scheme, older people and those on certain benefits can get a grant to help cover costs when temperatures hit zero degrees or below in their area.

  It applies if the average temperature is – or is forecast to be – 0°C or below for seven days in a row between 1 November and 31 March. You get £25 for each seven-day period. It's usually automatic if you get pension credit, or get other benefits including some universal credit recipients and some who get support for mortgage interest. See our full Cold weather payment guide for more info.