Social Fund

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

Apply for a Budgeting Loan.

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 SSA will loan you some money and the short-term advance will have to be paid back, just like a crisis loan.