If you don’t have enough to live on, you might be able to get help from the government or your local council.
If you’re waiting for benefit payments to start, you might be able to get your benefit paid early.
You might be able to get help from:
If you’re struggling to pay for food, you might be able to get help from a local food bank.
If you have a child or are pregnant
You might be able to get a Healthy Start card to help you buy certain types of milk, infant formula, fruit and vegetables.
To get the Healthy Start card you must be at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 years old. You must also be claiming either:
If you get Child Tax Credit, you can’t get the Healthy Start Card if you also get Working Tax Credit – unless you get the ‘run-on’ payment. Working Tax Credit run-on is the payment you get for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
You can apply for the Healthy Start Card scheme on the NHS website services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/apply-for-healthy-start/
You can also contact the Healthy Start helpline on 0300 300 7010. The service is available Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays), 8am to 6pm. Calls from landlines cost up to 9p per minute. Calls from mobile phones vary from 3p to 55p per minute.
Your local council might give you vouchers to help pay for day-to-day essentials like:
This help is known as ‘welfare assistance’ or the ‘Household Support Fund’. The help on offer and who can get it varies. Contact your local council and ask them if they run a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme that could help you.
You don’t have to be getting benefits to get help from your local council. If you do get benefits, they won’t be affected if you start getting money from a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme.
You might be able to get what’s called a ‘budgeting loan’ for essentials like clothing or a washing machine if you claim certain benefits.
You might be eligible if you get:
The loan is interest-free, so you’ll only have to pay back what you borrow. You’ll usually need to pay back the loan within 2 years.
If Housing Benefit or Universal Credit doesn’t cover all your rent and you need more money, you could make a claim for a discretionary housing payment (DHP). A DHP is extra money from your local council to help pay your rent.
You need to claim Housing Benefit or the housing costs part of Universal Credit to get a DHP.
Your local council doesn’t have to give you a DHP – it depends on your circumstances.
If the council decide to give you a DHP, they’ll write to tell you:
If you still need a DHP after it stops, you can apply again.
Contact your local council and ask how to apply for a DHP. They might want you to apply by phone or online. When you apply, be as clear as you can when you’re explaining why you need a DHP. For example, you should explain:
You should also tell the council if you’re waiting for them to decide whether you can get Housing Benefit.
If you apply on a paper form, it’s a good idea to keep a copy of the form for your records.