Payments from the £55million Energy Payment Support Scheme will start being paid on Friday, a day later than planned due to "a technical glitch".
The one-off payment of £200 will provide support for people struggling to meet rising energy costs due to the global fuel crisis and will be made automatically to around 280,000 eligible people in receipt of specified benefits.
The payment, which was announced in January, was due to be made on Thursday but will now be made from Friday onwards, after the Department for Work and Pensions system experienced a "technical glitch".