Social Fund

You could get help with one-off payments or occasional payments through the social fund if you are on a low income and meet the conditions.

The social fund may be able to give you:

• A maternity grant,
• Money to help with funeral payments,
• Cold weather payments, or
• A budgeting loan.

You will not have to pay back any money you receive as a maternity grant, cold weather payment or funeral payments. However, money for funeral payments can be taken back from the estate of the person who has passed away.

The social fund can give you a budgeting loan. Budgeting loans are for help with essential one off big payments that are difficult to plan for, such as a broken boiler. You have to pay back a budgeting loan to the social fund, but they are interest-free. If you are in receipt of Universal Credit you will not be able to apply for a Budgeting Loan but you may be able to apply for a Budgeting Advance instead.

Since April 2013, crisis loans and community care grants are no longer available – a short-term advance has replaced crisis loans. You may get this if you have to wait to get your benefits payments and this means that the DWP will loan you some money and the short-term advance will have to be paid back, just like a crisis loan.

Community care grants have not been replaced – local authorities have been given the option to set up schemes to replace 'community care grants' if they would like to, but some local authorities may not set up schemes at all. You will need to contact your local authority for more information about what is happening in your area and you may also be able to get help from a grants charity such as Turn2us.