Ofgem published regulatory expectations for energy suppliers on the use of Additional Support Credit (ASC) on 6 November 2025. The guidance covers how suppliers assess and provide ASC, how they identify and respond to vulnerability, examples of good practice seen across the sector, and when ASC may not be appropriate and how to respond in those cases1.
ASC is credit given to prepayment customers in vulnerable situations who have self-disconnected or are at risk of doing so. Ofgem describes it as "a vital tool" for those customers, but states that "it is not intended to be a long-term solution to affordability challenges"1. The regulator says suppliers should assess each request individually rather than by blanket rule, "ensuring decisions are fair, proportionate, and in the customer's best interest"1.
The guidance sets out what that case-by-case assessment should include. Ofgem says suppliers should consider "alternative forms of support where appropriate" and should set repayment terms that match what the customer can afford, "ensuring repayment terms are aligned with the customer's ability to pay"1. The document also clarifies when ASC may not be appropriate and how a supplier should respond in such cases1.
"We expect suppliers to assess each request for ASC on a case-by-case basis, ensuring decisions are fair, proportionate, and in the customer's best interest."
Ofgem states the clarification forms part of its wider Debt Strategy work1. The guidance sits alongside existing rules on prepayment meters and vulnerable customer protections and the supplier support owed to vulnerable customers.
Why it matters for households
For a household on a prepayment meter, ASC is the credit that keeps supply on when the meter has run out and the customer cannot top up. Self-disconnection at that point means no gas or electricity until credit is added. The guidance is about how suppliers decide whether to provide that credit, and on what repayment terms, so it bears directly on whether a home stays supplied and how quickly the resulting debt has to be cleared.
The emphasis on case-by-case assessment and on repayment aligned with ability to pay matters for energy independence at home because it addresses the point where a temporary shortfall turns into a longer debt problem. Ofgem's own framing is that ASC is emergency support, not a fix for affordability, so the guidance does not change what a household owes for energy used; it addresses how the emergency credit is granted and recovered. The document also confirms that suppliers are expected to look at other forms of support where appropriate, which places ASC within a wider set of supplier hardship and support credit arrangements.
The guidance is addressed to suppliers, not households, and Ofgem has not reported new entitlements, rates or eligibility thresholds for customers in this document. What it sets out is how the regulator expects suppliers to behave when a request is made, which is relevant to supplier conduct on prepayment meters and customer debt.
What happens next
No implementation date, compliance deadline or consultation on the guidance has been reported. Ofgem states only that the clarification forms part of its wider Debt Strategy work1.
Sources1 cited
- Additional Support Credit: our expectations | Ofgem, ofgem.gov.uk