Households across Enniskillen and County Fermanagh who use oil as their main source of heating could be eligible for £100 towards the cost of their next home heating oil order.
The Home Heating Oil Support Scheme, launched on 9th September, provides eligible households across Northern Ireland with a £100 pre-paid digital card which can be used with oil suppliers.
The scheme is being run by the Department for Communities and is not automatic, meaning anyone who believes they are eligible will need to make an application.
Who can apply for the £100 oil support?
To potentially qualify, home heating oil must be the main source of heating in your home.
Applicants must also have been resident in Northern Ireland for at least one day during one of the scheme’s qualifying periods and either receive one of a number of qualifying benefits or have a net annual income below £30,000 after tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
The 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
- Certain Constant Attendance Allowance payments
- Certain War Pension Scheme payments
Receiving the home heating oil support will not affect an existing benefit claim.
What are the qualifying periods?
There are two qualifying periods associated with the scheme.
The first covers 1st–30th April 2026, while a second qualifying period runs from 1st–30th November 2026.
According to NI Direct, applicants may not be eligible if, for the whole of the qualifying period, they were living in a nursing or care home, were a hospital inpatient, were in prison or were outside Northern Ireland.
You need to apply – payment isn’t automatic
Importantly, eligible households will not receive the £100 support automatically.
Applications must be made before the scheme closes on 31st March 2027, with only one person applying from each residential address.
Anyone applying online will need their National Insurance number, an email address or smartphone number and, if they don’t receive one of the qualifying benefits, details of their own or joint household income.
NI Direct estimates that the online application should take around 10 minutes to complete.
Apply for the £100 Home Heating Oil Support on NI Direct
What happens if your application is successful?
The Department for Communities aims to notify successful applicants within 10 working days of their application.
Successful applicants will receive a unique link to activate their £100 digital card by email or text message. Those without an email address or smartphone can receive the information by post.
Once activated, the digital card can be used with oil suppliers in Northern Ireland.
If an oil order costs more than £100, NI Direct advises customers to phone their supplier, allowing the £100 digital card to be used alongside another payment method for the remaining balance.
Help is available if you can’t apply online
Anyone who needs assistance with their application can contact the Home Heating Oil Support helpline on 0800 072 0266.
The helpline is available Monday to Friday from 9am until 4pm.
Help is also available through local Jobs & Benefits offices.
Watch out for heating oil support scams
Anyone applying for the scheme is also being urged to be aware of potential scams.
NI Direct is the only official website where applications can be made.
The Department for Communities will never ask applicants for bank details or request payment in order to make a claim.
Anyone receiving a suspicious message asking for banking information or money in connection with the scheme should not provide those details.
For households across Enniskillen and Fermanagh who rely on heating oil, particularly as the colder months approach, it’s worth checking the eligibility criteria to see whether the £100 support is available to you.
Check your eligibility and apply through the official NI Direct website
