The government has relaunched the Household Support Fund grants with an additional £500 million to help households with the rising cost of living.
The Household Support Fund was first launched to help families and pensioners with costs as we came out of the other side of the pandemic.
As furlough came to an end in October 2021 and to replace the COVID local support grant, the Household Support Fund was set up.
Earn a bit of extra money in your spare time with surveys, offers and other simple tasks you can do at home.
New users can currently get a bonus when they sign up.
Claim sign-up bonusOn top of that, more families than before needed support due to job losses or changes in their personal circumstances. Not everyone could get back to where they were financially straight away, and the grants were set up to help families pay for essentials.
However, as the cost of living and energy bills are rising so sharply, the government has announced another £500 million in new funding from April 2022 to help.
The money is a cash grant that doesn’t need to be repaid and helps buy household essentials.
Also see: find information on a white goods grant and grants for furniture and carpets
Household Support Fund 2022
To help with the rising cost of living, the government has made another £500 million available to support households.
You can use the Household Support Fund money for household essentials.
They intend people to use the money to meet daily needs such as food, clothing and utility bills over the next few months.
You can apply for the cash grants directly with your local council from October 2021.
Support Fund extension into 2023
The government has extended the scheme further with an additional £500 million of support.
This has been extended until 31 March 2023 for England and the devolved nations.
Use instead/as well as the £150 council tax rebate
As some of you are aware, there is a £150 council tax rebate due (either as cash or as a reduction in council tax costs, depending on how your council has managed it).
This was announced as part of the spring statement in 2022 to help with rising energy costs.
The only issue – this rebate was targeting at people who live in council tax properties A – D and who are (usually) not exempt.
If you live in a larger property or don’t pay council tax, you won’t get any help with this rebate.
Just because you live in a more expensive council tax banded house or are exempt from the tax doesn’t mean you cannot afford the energy hikes either!
Instead, contact your council and ask for help through the Household Support Fund.
There is funding there – so use it, please.
How to apply for a Household Support Fund
The grants are available from councils in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
You need to apply to your local council directly.
Our understanding is they are prioritising grants for families with children and pensioners. However, if you are struggling, don’t let that put you off applying!
As with previous support grants, we can guess that you’ll need to be over 16. You will likely need to show you have been affected financially by the continuing rising costs.
We expect you need to prove to the council that you don’t have any spare money to support yourself or your family in the short term.
