Thousands of hard-up families can get up to £650 in free cash – how to claim
HARD-UP families can struggling with rising costs could get up to £650 free cash.
The support comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421 million.
The pot of money from Government has been shared between local councils.
But each local authority decides how to allocate their portion of the fund so what you will get depends on where you live.
In most cases, the help is given to households on benefits or a low income.
For example, residents in Manchester could get up to £650 in free cash - but they only have until March 31 to apply.
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How much you get depends on your circumstances.
You'll get up to £650 if you:
- Get Housing Benefit payments but no other DWP or HMRC benefits and you have not had a Cost of Living payment.
You'll get £400 if you:
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- Receive Council Tax Support on November 17 2022 and have at least five people living in your home.with 5 or more people living in the household on that day.
You'll get £324 or £326 if you:
- Did not get the first DWP Cost of Living Payment of £326 in July and have since become entitled to Pension Credit.
- Did not get the first Cost of Living Payment of £326 in July and have since become entitled to Universal Credit and Pension Credit.
- You live in a park home, houseboat or off the grid and do not qualify for the .
If you think you qualify you'll need to apply via the Manchester City Council website - just search Household Support Fund.
You'll then get the payment into your bank account.
Can I get help if I don't like in Manchester?
Yes you can. But each council has been given a different amount through the Household Support Fund.
That means households are receiving different amounts depending on the area.
The money is being distributed in different ways too - some councils are giving out supermarket vouchers while others are paying the money directly into people's bank accounts.
Households in Luton can get up to £500 in free supermarket vouchers.
Meanwhile, thousands in Exeter have just days left to apply for up to £650 of support.
How you apply depends on where you live. In some cases residents are being asked to apply directly on council websites.
But you might be able to call through and apply too.
The best thing to do is get in touch with your local council to see if you're eligible and how to apply.
If you don't know what council area you fall under you can use the locator tool found on the Government's website.
Just type "find my local council" into Google and it should be the first link that appears on the page.
Once you've clicked through you just have to enter your postcode and the tool tells you what council area you fall under.
What other bill help is there?
If you are not eligible for the Household Support Fund you might be able to get help through different means.
Lots of energy companies offer grants to customers who are struggling with bills, including British Gas, EDF and E.On.
In some cases, you might be able to get up to £1,500 worth of help, so it's worth seeing if you're eligible.
The best thing to do is contact your supplier to see what they have on offer.
Millions of households should be in the process of receiving the £400 energy rebate as well.
Two payments worth £66 were paid in October and November and a third of £67 in December.
The remaining three payments worth £66 will be paid in January, February and March.
As part of the Autumn Statement, a second round of cost of living payments was announced too.
This includes a £900, £300 and £150 payment.
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It's not yet clear who is eligible for each of the payments, but the dates for all three have been announced.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]