The Department for Communities announced on 8 September that the scheme went live for applications at 00:01 on Wednesday 9 September 2026, online through nidirect, through the Jobs and Benefits network and on the 0800 072 0266 helpline.
Resolves on nidirect and communities-ni.gov.uk. YES if an application route for the Home Heating Oil Support Scheme is stated to be open on 9 September 2026, whether online, by the freephone helpline or in Jobs and Benefits offices. A partial opening, for example the helpline before the online form, resolves YES. A postponement announced in advance resolves NO. If that source has not published in time, BBC News NI and the Belfast Telegraph settle it.
We looked for every time since 2022 that a government named in advance the day a direct support payment would reach households in Northern Ireland, where that day has now passed. Energy schemes alone gave three cases, so we added the Cost of Living Payments made to Northern Ireland homes on days named in advance. That makes seven. For each we asked whether the money arrived on the day named. All seven dates were kept. How long each scheme took to reach its date is noted but not counted, because the announcements ran on different clocks.