8 February 2012
This information applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
When you are on a low income, it is very difficult to budget for emergency expenses, funeral costs, the costs of a new baby or one-off payments for large items, such as furnishing a home. You could also be in a situation where you have no money coming in at all. There is money available for these situations, although it is limited. This is known as the Social Fund. The Social Fund includes funeral payments, maternity grants, crisis loans, budgeting loans, community care grants and cold weather payments. Winter fuel payments are also a type of Social Fund payment, but they are restricted to people who have reached state pension age for women.
For more information about winter fuel payments, see Benefits for people over sixty.
If you are on a low income, you may also be able to get benefit to help with your living costs, your rent or other housing costs and your Council Tax.
For more information about help on a low income, see Help for people on a low income – Income Support.
A maternity grant (also known as a Sure Start maternity grant) is a fixed amount of £500 to help people on a low income buy clothes and equipment for a new born baby. It does not have to be repaid. It does not matter what you use the money for.
If the baby is born, expected or adopted on or after 11 April 2011, you can only get a maternity grant if the new baby is the only child under 16 in the household.
You can get a maternity grant if you or your partner is receiving Income Support, Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance when you claim. If you're getting Child Tax Credit, you may also be able to get a maternity grant if your award of Child Tax Credit is high enough. If you are getting Working Tax Credit with an extra amount because of disability, you will be entitled to a maternity grant. Your capital (for example, savings) does not affect a maternity grant.
You can claim a maternity grant if you or your partner is at least 29 weeks’ pregnant, or has given birth, adopted a baby or had a child by a surrogate mother within the last three months. In some circumstances, you can claim if you are the grandparent of the baby and you are responsible for the baby. To claim a maternity grant, you also have to show that you have received advice from a health care professional. The baby must not be more than twelve months old at the date of the claim.
If you are an asylum seeker getting government asylum support, you cannot get a maternity grant but you can ask for a one-off payment of £300. You must apply before your baby is two weeks old.
I get Income Support and my girlfriend's pregnant. We don't speak much English and we don't really understand the benefits system. Can we get help to buy things for the baby?
Yes, you might get a maternity grant of £500 to help you buy clothes and equipment for the baby. Your local benefits office should explain to you in your own language how to make the claim. Or you can get a leaflet from them in your language. An adviser at your local Citizens Advice Bureau could help you make your claim and they could help you understand what else you might be entitled to. For example, your girlfriend can get vouchers for fruit, vegetables and milk and vitamins while she's pregnant and when the baby is born, you can get more financial help.
For more information on maternity grants, see Benefits for families and children.
A funeral payment is a payment to help people on a low income with the essential costs of a funeral. You must show that you have met these expenses. You do not have to repay a funeral payment, although it can be recovered from the estate of the person who has died.
You can claim a funeral payment if you or your partner is receiving Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), or Pension Credit. If you are getting Child Tax Credit and your award is high enough, you can claim a funeral payment. If you are getting Working Tax Credit with an extra amount for disability, you can also claim a funeral payment. Your capital (for example, savings) does not affect a funeral payment.
You will not be granted a funeral payment just because you are paying for a funeral. The Jobcentre Plus office has to accept that it is reasonable for you to be responsible for the funeral costs and that there is no one else who should be paying for it. If you are claiming funeral costs for your child who has died or if you are the partner of the person who has died, you can be paid a funeral payment as long as you meet the benefit conditions. This applies to lesbian and gay partners as well as heterosexual partners. It also applies whether you were married, in a civil partnership or just living together.
If you are a close relative, family member or a friend of the person who has died, you may be able to get a funeral payment, but it will depend whether there are other relatives alive who are not on benefit. If there is someone closer or equally close to the person who has died who is not on benefit, you cannot usually get a funeral payment. In this situation, the Jobcentre Plus office will also consider whether it is reasonable for you to accept responsibility for the funeral expenses. They will look at how well you knew the dead person.
A funeral payment will not cover all the costs of a funeral. It will not pay for expenses which are already covered under a pre-paid funeral plan.
Otherwise, a funeral payment can include:
A funeral payment can also include up to £700 for other expenses, including:
If there is a private funeral payment plan, there is a limit of £120 for any of these other expenses that are not already covered by the funeral plan.
A funeral payment will be reduced by any available assets of the person who has died. This means any resources they had which can be used to pay towards the funeral, for example:
You can claim a funeral payment from the date of death up to three months after the date of the funeral, even if you have already paid the funeral bill.
In England, Wales and Scotland, you can claim by:
For more information about the Bereavement Service, see 'Telling government about the death' in What to do after a death.
In Northern Ireland, you can get a form from your local Social Security Office or Jobs and Benefits office. Or you can download the form from the Department for Social Development's website at: www.nidirect.gov.uk.
If you have used a funeral director who has not yet been paid, the funeral payment will usually be sent direct to them. If the funeral director has already been paid, the payment will be made to you. You may not be able to claim back the full costs of the funeral.
If you are refused a funeral payment or think your award is lower than it should be, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again or you can appeal. You should do this within one month of the decision.
For more information about funeral payments from the Social Fund, go to the Directgov website at: www.direct.gov.uk.
For more information about funeral payments from the Social Fund in Northern Ireland, go to the Northern Ireland Directgov website at: www.nidirect.gov.uk.
For more information about asking for a decision to be looked at again or appealing, see Problems with benefits and tax credits.
If you are not happy with a funeral payment decision you can also consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Cold weather payments help people on a low income with fuel costs during periods of cold weather. It does not matter what you spend the money on, and they do not have to be repaid. Each postcode area of the country is linked to a weather station and payments are made for periods of cold weather. When the weather station forecasts or records an average daily temperature of 0 degrees centigrade or less for seven consecutive days, a payment will be made.
Cold weather payments are different from Winter Fuel Payments which are made every winter to people aged over state pension age, regardless of the temperature.
For more information about Winter Fuel Payments and who can get them, see Benefits for people over sixty.
You will be entitled to a cold weather payment if you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least one day during the period of cold weather and:
You are entitled to a cold weather payment if you get Pension Credit and don't live in a care home.
You are entitled to a cold weather payment if you get income-related Employment and Support Allowance and:
If you are entitled to cold weather payments, you will automatically be sent a payment for each period of cold weather. This is £25.00. You do not have to make a claim for a cold weather payment, but if you think you should receive one and you are not paid, you can make a written claim to your local benefit office. If they refuse to make a payment and you still think you are entitled, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again or you can appeal to an independent tribunal. You should do this within one month of the decision.
For more information about challenging a cold weather payment decision, see Problems with benefits and tax credits.
If you are not happy with a cold weather payment decision, you can also consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens’ Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Community care grants are intended to help with expenses so that people can live in the community and families can stay together. Community care grants are discretionary, which means that even if you are eligible you will only get one if the benefit office decides that your need is important and there is enough money left in the district Social Fund budget. Community care grants do not have to be repaid, so you should always check if you are eligible to claim one when you have expenses you cannot meet.
You can apply for a community care grant if:
Any community care grant you can get will be reduced if you or your partner has capital (for example, savings) of more than £500 (£1,000 if one of you are aged 60 or over). If you have more capital than this, but not enough to pay for the item or service you need, you can apply for a grant to make up the difference.
A community care grant can only be awarded if it will help with certain situations. You can get one for expenses which will help you, a member of your family, or someone you are going to care for, get established in the community following a stay in institutional or residential care, or to stay in the community rather than go into care. You can also get one to ease exceptional pressures on you or your family, for example, if the lack of an essential item is causing you stress or affecting the health of your children.
A community care grant can be awarded to help you or your partner care for a prisoner or young offender who is on home leave. You can also get a community care grant to help you set up home as part of a planned resettlement programme following an unsettled period, for example, if you have been homeless. A community care grant can be awarded to help with certain travel expenses that support families and people living in the community.
Although the circumstances sound very specific, there are lots of situations in which they might apply. For example, if you are a lone parent and you have moved house, your family may be under exceptional pressure unless you can get some money towards new items. You have to explain what could happen if you do not get help.
You cannot get a community care grant if you have applied for the same item or service within the previous 12 months unless circumstances have changed.
In Northern Ireland, you must not have applied for the same item or service within the previous 28 days.
A community care grant can also be awarded to promote community care by helping you or a member of your family with travel expenses, including the cost of overnight accommodation, as long as the travel is within the United Kingdom. The travel must be necessary to:-
Some expenses are always excluded from community care grants. Any expense outside the United Kingdom cannot be included. Other expenses that you cannot get a community care grant for include the cost of a school uniform, travelling expenses to school and school meals, medical costs, housing costs and fuel costs.
You can apply for a community care grant on form SF300 which is available from local benefit offices.
In England, Wales and Scotland, the form is also available online on the Department for Work and Pensions website at www.dwp.gov.uk, although you will need to print off the form in order to sign it. In Northern Ireland, you can download the form from the Department for Social Development's website at: : www.nidirect.gov.uk.
Because community care grants are discretionary, it is important to include all relevant information on the application form, and explain what could happen if you are unable to pay for an item or service. A social worker or someone else who works with you may be able to help in completing your application, or you can seek the help of an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens’ Advice Bureau.
The minimum amount of community care grant that can be awarded is usually £30. There is no maximum amount.
If a community care grant is refused, or you get less than the amount you applied for, you can ask the benefit office to look at the decision again. If you are still unhappy with the outcome you can ask for a review by the Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS). This is an independent organisation completely separate from the benefit office. You can find out more about the IRS at www.irs-review.org.uk.
If you are thinking of challenging a community care grant decision, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Budgeting loans can help with essential lump sum expenses which are difficult to budget for when you are living on means-tested benefits. Budgeting loans have to be paid back to the social fund, but they are interest-free. This means you only have to pay back the amount you are awarded. You won't get a budgeting loan just because you are eligible to apply. The decision will be made following a review of your circumstances.
You can apply for a budgeting loan if you are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Pension Credit on the day that you apply. In addition, you must have been on one of these benefits for at least 26 weeks. Breaks of 28 days or less in your claim will be ignored.
You cannot receive a full budgeting loan if you or your partner have more than £1,000 in capital(£2,000 if you or your partner are over state pension age). If you have capital above this amount, your budgeting loan award will be reduced by the amount of excess capital.
A budgeting loan can only be awarded for essential items or services in certain categories of expense. You can apply for a budgeting loan for help with furniture and household equipment, clothing and footwear. You can apply for help with rent in advance or removal expenses to new accommodation. You can apply for help with the costs of improvement, maintenance and security of your home. You can apply for help with essential travelling expenses and expenses associated with getting or starting a job. You can also apply for a budgeting loan for help with hire purchase payments and other debts, if the money was borrowed for expenses in any of the other categories.
Before you apply for a budgeting loan, you should check whether you are able to apply for a community care grant, or entitled to a maternity grant or funeral payment, as these grants do not have to be repaid.
You can apply for a budgeting loan on form SF500, which is available from local benefit offices.
In England, Wales and Scotland, you can download a copy of the form from the Department for Work and Pensions website at: www.dwp.gov.uk. In Northern Ireland, you can download a copy of the form from the website of the Department for Social Development at: www.nidirect.gov.uk.
Because budgeting loans depend on your circumstances, you must answer all the questions on the form which apply. You do not have to specify exactly what you need or why, but you must indicate the category of the expenses for which you want a loan and the amount of money required (see under What expenses can a budgeting loan be made for, above).
If you would like help with applying for a budgeting loan, you should ask an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
The minimum amount of budgeting loan that you can be awarded is £100, and the maximum amount is £1,500. The award will be decided by looking at your circumstances, at any existing budgeting loan you owe, any capital you have over the capital limit, and your ability to repay the loan. The award will also depend on the district Social Fund budget. The budgeting loan decision will tell you how much you can borrow and what the repayment rates will be – it may offer you more than one arrangement. A loan should normally be repaid within 104 weeks (2 years).
If a budgeting loan is refused, or you are awarded less than you applied for, you can ask the benefit office to look at the decision again. If you are still unhappy with the outcome you can ask for a review by the Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS). This is an independent organisation completely separate from the benefit office. You can find out more about the IRS at www.irs-review.org.uk.
If you need advice about deciding between budgeting loan offers or if you are not happy with a budgeting loan decision you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Crisis loans provide help for people who need money quickly because of expenses in an emergency or disaster. They can also help with rent in advance in certain circumstances. Crisis loans have to be paid back to the Social Fund, but they are interest-free. This means you will not have to pay back more than the amount of the loan. Crisis loans are discretionary which means that you will not get one just because you are eligible to apply. The benefit office will decide whether to pay you anything based on how much money is in the district Social Fund budget, and how urgently you need help.
You can apply for a crisis loan if you are 16 or over and do not have the resources to meet the immediate short-term needs of yourself and your family. You have to be in this situation at the time that a decision is made on your application for a crisis loan. You do not have to be on benefit, but you must not have any money available which you could use instead. Some people are excluded from crisis loans, so in addition, you must not be a person who is excluded from getting a crisis loan. A crisis loan cannot be awarded if you have applied for the same item or service within the previous 12 months unless circumstances have changed. In Northern Ireland, a crisis loan cannot be awarded if you have applied for the same item or service within the previous 28 days unless your circumstances have changed.
In some circumstances, you are limited to a maximum of three crisis loans within a twelve month period.
You are excluded from crisis loans and cannot be paid one if:-
Some other groups of people can only get a crisis loan in exceptional circumstances, for example some students, people on strike and people who have been disallowed from other benefits. Your immigration status will also affect whether you can get a crisis loan or not.
If you are not sure whether you can get a crisis loan, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
A crisis loan can be paid for certain expenses that have come about as the result of an emergency or disaster. You can only get a crisis loan if it is the only way to avoid serious damage or risk to the health or safety of you or a member of your family. Examples of a disaster are a fire or a flood.
In an emergency, you can only get a crisis loan for:
In the case of a disaster such as a fire or a flood, as well as the expenses already mentioned, you may also be able to get a crisis loan to meet other expenses, like replacing household items and clothing.
In some circumstances, a crisis loan can be given to pay rent in advance even when there is no disaster or emergency.
If the crisis loan is for rent in advance, this must be payable to a private or social housing landlord, not to a local authority. You can only get a crisis loan for rent in advance if you have been awarded a community care grant to establish yourself in the community when you leave residential or institutional care (see under heading Community care grants), or because you need to pay the rent to avoid damage or risk to you or your family following an emergency or disaster. If you have problems paying rent in advance and these circumstances do not apply, you may be able to get help through a budgeting loan instead (see under heading Budgeting loans).
Certain expenses are excluded from crisis loans. For example, you cannot get a crisis loan for any expense outside the United Kingdom, the costs of a school uniform, travelling expenses to and from school, school meals, medical costs, or expenses that could be covered by a maternity grant or funeral payment.
If you want to check which expenses are excluded from a crisis loan, you should ask an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
Before applying for a crisis loan, you should check whether you are eligible for a community care grant, or entitled to a maternity or funeral payment, as these do not have to be repaid.
In England, Wales and Scotland, you can apply for a crisis loan on one of the following forms:
You can download these forms on the Directgov website at www.direct.gov.uk. For urgent needs, you may be able to make a claim by telephone on the freephone number 0800 032 7952, or, if you have speech or hearing difficulties, on textphone 0800 032 7958.
In Northern Ireland, you can download a copy of the crisis loan claim form from the NI Direct website at: www.dsdni.gov.uk you can pick up a form SF 401 at your local Social Security or Jobs and Benefits office, or you can call the Crisis Loan claim line freephone number: 0800 028 8822.
You should not be refused an opportunity to apply for a crisis loan, and the benefit office should give you an application form if you ask for one. If you are refused, you should complain to the Customer Service Manager at the district office.
Because crisis loans are discretionary, it is important to include all relevant information on the application form. If you want help applying for a crisis loan, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau.
If you have applied for help with your living expenses two or more times in the past 12 months, you will normally have to attend an interview at the Jobcentre Plus Office.
The benefit office will tell you whether they can pay you anything, and if so how much. There is no minimum amount which can be awarded. The maximum amount is £1,500 but there are also set maximum amounts for living expenses. For other expenses, the maximum is the reasonable cost of the item or service which you need. When deciding how much to award, the benefit office will take into account how much you can afford to repay. Loans should normally be repaid within 104 weeks (2 years).
If you are refused a crisis loan or you get less than you asked for, you can ask the benefit office to look at the decision again. If you are still not happy with the outcome you can ask for a review by the Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS). This is an independent organisation completely separate from the benefit office. You can find out more about the IRS at www.irs-review.org.uk.
If you are unhappy with a crisis loan decision, the amount you have been offered or the repayment rate, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
It's against the law for you to be treated unfairly, for example because of your race, sex, religion, sexuality or disability when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) deals with your claim for help from the Social Fund. If you think you've been discriminated against, you can make a complaint about this.
For more information about making a complaint, see Problems with benefits and tax credits.
For more information about discrimination, see our discrimination pages.
If you need information about the Social Fund in other languages, you can go to your local benefits office. They can provide interpreting and translation services.
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