Can I be added as a energy bill payer alongside my dad?

AiAka

Hi. Can I be added as bill payer alongside my dad? (Octopus energy). As I am eligible got the warm home discount as I am on universal credit which would really help with the bills. Also is it easy to remove me as bill payer later on?

Thanks 

Spoonie_Turtle

AiAka said:

Hi. Can I be added as bill payer alongside my dad? (Octopus energy). As I am eligible got the warm home discount as I am on universal credit which would really help with the bills. Also is it easy to remove me as bill payer later on?

Thanks 

Eligibility for the WHD depends on the property too, unless you're in Scotland.

Were you living in the same place in August this year, and were you claiming UC then?

AiAka

Spoonie_Turtle said:

AiAka said:

Hi. Can I be added as bill payer alongside my dad? (Octopus energy). As I am eligible got the warm home discount as I am on universal credit which would really help with the bills. Also is it easy to remove me as bill payer later on?

Thanks 

Eligibility for the WHD depends on the property too, unless you're in Scotland.

Were you living in the same place in August this year, and were you claiming UC then?

I'm in England and living in my parents home with my baby.  I had my first UC appointment in mid August and received my first payment Sept 12th last year (I received a letter to say I was eligible for WHD). Thanks

Spoonie_Turtle

AiAka said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

AiAka said:

Hi. Can I be added as bill payer alongside my dad? (Octopus energy). As I am eligible got the warm home discount as I am on universal credit which would really help with the bills. Also is it easy to remove me as bill payer later on?

Thanks 

Eligibility for the WHD depends on the property too, unless you're in Scotland.

Were you living in the same place in August this year, and were you claiming UC then?

I'm in England and living in my parents home with my baby.  I had my first UC appointment in mid August and received my first payment Sept 12th last year (I received a letter to say I was eligible for WHD). Thanks

Hm, in practice the WHD should have been credited to the electricity account attached to the property then.  Did it say you definitely were eligible or might be?  If you pursued it, what was the outcome?

I understand why you're asking about being named on the bill, I'm just puzzled why it wasn't credited anyway because that's been the outcome for all the other people I've heard of being eligible but not named on the bill.

AiAka

Spoonie_Turtle said:

AiAka said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

AiAka said:

Hi. Can I be added as bill payer alongside my dad? (Octopus energy). As I am eligible got the warm home discount as I am on universal credit which would really help with the bills. Also is it easy to remove me as bill payer later on?

Thanks 

Eligibility for the WHD depends on the property too, unless you're in Scotland.

Were you living in the same place in August this year, and were you claiming UC then?

I'm in England and living in my parents home with my baby.  I had my first UC appointment in mid August and received my first payment Sept 12th last year (I received a letter to say I was eligible for WHD). Thanks

Hm, in practice the WHD should have been credited to the electricity account attached to the property then.  Did it say you definitely were eligible or might be?  If you pursued it, what was the outcome?

I understand why you're asking about being named on the bill, I'm just puzzled why it wasn't credited anyway because that's been the outcome for all the other people I've heard of being eligible but not named on the bill.

This is the letter I got for the Warm Home Discount. Does this mean I should have got it 

QrizB

According to the last bit of that letter, it doesn't have to be paid until the end of March.

Could your dad contact Octopus and see if they've been told that you qualify for WHD? Octopus customer support are usually quite helpful.

AiAka

QrizB said:

According to the last bit of that letter, it doesn't have to be paid until the end of March.

Could your dad contact Octopus and see if they've been told that you qualify for WHD? Octopus customer support are usually quite helpful.

I will get him to ask about it, thanks

badger09

I bow to others’ superior knowledge here but by my reading, bullet points 3 & 4 weren’t met. 

Good luck OP

My edit in bold

ArbitraryRandom

But in answer the question in the OP, if that's the easiest solution then yes it 'should' be fairly easy (especially with Octopus as their customer service is generally great). 

You would do best to phone them - and you'll need your dad (as account holder) and you to both confirm what you want/who you are. Worst case, they might take your dad off the account and add you... but if he agrees then he can still hold the DD etc and you can just switch back when you move out. 

Scot_39

WFP is essentially a household benefit not an individual one.

I suspect your individual assessment was done on assumption you were in fact the householder.

And that looks like a fairly standard mail shot.

You clearly do not currently meet all bullet points.


You appear to have e been assessed in core group 2  grouping judging by the 4 common bullet points

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/low-income-England-Wales


Yiu could ring the freephone number.


It is not uncommon for other payments and discounts (e.g. council tax rebates) to take into account the circumstances of other adult occupants in the household before they are granted.

The benefit status of one does not qualify the whole household.

And I speak from family experience, disabled mum was entitled, siblings living with her blocked entitlement to certain household benefits.

There's no harm in asking - but even if change names - be warned you might not get it.

And I suspect you shouldn't.

If your parents were not on benefits - would you expect to get any help from state for their share of the bill ?

Do you actually pay 100% of the utility bill - or even any of it - in reality ?

ArbitraryRandom

Scot_39 said:

The benefit status of one does not qualify the whole household.

In some cases it can be justified... if someone needs more heating due to a disability or age, the other residents being able to tolerate colder temperatures is irrelevant to the fact that individual needs to live in a warmer home, resulting in higher bills for the bill payer/household than would otherwise be the case. 

The more common issue is when a child qualifies due to disability and obviously they can't be the bill payer - hence point 4 allowing for a representative (parent or carer) to be named.