Money help

Get £140 to help with food and other essentials

The new round of the Household Support Fund opened on 25 April. Apply for help paying for:

• Food
• Energy
• Bills
• Other essentials

If you’ve previously been awarded a grant you can now apply again. Grants are:

• If you have a child who receives means-tested free school meals you can get Holiday Food Vouchers for £20 per week, per child during the school holidays for May half-term and the six-week summer holidays

• Pensioners, carers, disabled people and/or households with four or more people can get a Household Support Grant for £140
• All other households can get a Household Support Grant for £70

If you have a child who receives means-tested free school meals, you apply to First Days Children's Charity.

Anyone else can apply to Citizens Advice Wokingham or Age UK Berkshire.

Apply to Household Support Fund

Help with money and budgets

• Use the Citizens Advice calculator to see how to maximise your income
• Use the Entitled To budget tool to plan your spending

Marriage Allowance

Couples who are married or in a civil partnership could get £252 to boost their finances.

By using HMRC’s online Marriage Allowance calculator couples can find out if they are eligible.

Couples who may be unaware that they could claim include those where one partner is working and the other has income less than their personal allowance of £12,570, including those who:  

• have retired
• have given up work to care for children or elderly relatives
• are unable to work because of long term health conditions
• have a part time job
• have a low paid job

Preventing crisis

Our Local Welfare Provision is a scheme run by us to help people who are in a crisis or emergency situation and where additional assistance would help prevent the crisis or emergency from escalating.