The short answer
- The Feed-in Tariff (FIT) closed to new applicants on 1 April 2019.
- If you joined before then, payments continue for 10 to 25 years, depending on when your system was commissioned and its type.
- You're paid for the electricity your panels generate, and for what you export, at least four times a year.
- Payments are based on meter readings you submit to your FIT supplier (called your FIT licensee).
Why people miss out
- Readings not sent. If nobody submits generation meter readings, payments can stop building up.
- Moving house. If you bought a home with panels already fitted, the FIT payments may still be going to the previous owner, or to nobody. Contact the FIT licensee to transfer them.
- Changed energy supplier. Your FIT licensee doesn't have to be your electricity supplier. Switching your energy doesn't automatically move your FIT, so payments may continue with the old company.
- Bank details out of date. Payments can't arrive if the account has closed.
How to check
- Find your paperwork. Look for a FIT statement, a "statement of FIT terms" or an MCS certificate from when the panels were installed.
- Find your FIT licensee. It's the company named on your FIT statements. If you've no paperwork, contact the energy supplier that fitted or registered the panels, or the Ofgem contacts listed on its Feed-in Tariffs pages.
- Read your generation meter (the meter installed with your panels) and send the reading to your FIT licensee.
- Ask about any missed payments if readings haven't been sent for a while.
Panels fitted after March 2019?
You can't join the FIT, but you can get paid for exports through the Smart Export Guarantee.
Sources: Ofgem Feed-in Tariffs.