Full list of free cash you can apply for NOW as Government extends massive fund giving out extra cost of living payments

THOUSANDS of households will get extra help after the Government extended a huge free cash fund – and there’s other support on offer too.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has extended the Household Support Fund (HSF) for the fifth time, adding a further £500million to the pot.

1

The fourth round of the fund was due to close on March 31 but it will now end six months later.

Delivering the update as part of the Spring Budget today, the Chancellor said: “The Household Support Fund was set up on a temporary basis and due to conclude at the end of this month.

“Having listened carefully to representations from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Trussell Trust and the Hon Members for East Ham, Colchester, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and Suffolk Coastal among others, I have decided that – with the battle against inflation still not over – now is not the time to stop the targeted help it offers.

“We will therefore continue it at current levels for another six months.”

The HSF works by distributing cash between councils in England who then allocate their share to residents in need.

Eligibility criteria depends on where you live, but help is usually offered to households on a low income or benefits.

You will need to get in touch with your local council to see what support is on offer, which could come in the form of a bank transfer or supermarket or energy vouchers.

You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool on its website.

If you don’t qualify for the HSF, don’t worry as there’s plenty of other free cash you could claim now and give your bank account a well-needed boost.

Bank switches

Banks and building societies regularly run switching offers for new or existing customers who switch their current accounts.

Most will give you free money for doing it too.

All you have to do is make the switch using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS), which most banks are signed up to.

Three major banks are currently offering switching incentives worth up to £200 with a number of added perks included.

NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland are offering £200 free cash to anyone switching to a number of its current accounts.

Meanwhile, Lloyds Bank is offering a cash switching offer worth £175 to anyone switching to one of its Club Lloyds accounts.

You can find out more about the bank switches and apply by visiting the bank’s websites.

Benefits

It may seem obvious, but you should check if you could qualify for benefits if you haven’t already.

The most recent research from analytics company Policy in Practice reveals billions of pounds worth of benefits are going unclaimed, including £7.5billion in Universal Credit.

Not only do benefits open up free cash, they can unlock other freebies and discounts too like free TV licences or council tax discounts.

A number of free benefits calculators can give you an indication of how much you could be entitled to:

Money for health costs

People on certain benefits including Universal Credit can get free NHS prescriptions, if they meet certain criteria.

NHS prescriptions currently cost £9.35 in the UK so the savings can tot up.

You can use the Government’s eligibility checker tool on its website to find out what you might be in line for.

You might also get help covering prescription, dental and eyecare costs through the NHS Low Income scheme.

You can even get free wigs and help covering the cost of travel, if it’s to health appointments.

Again, how much you’ll be entitled to depends on financial factors including outgoings and the amount of savings you have in the bank.

There’s more information about applying on the NHS’ website.

Warm Home Discount

Three million people in total qualify for the Warm Home Discount this winter and most receive the £150 payment automatically.

But there are some who have to apply by the March 31 deadline.

Scottish households not on the Guarantee element of Pension Credit have to apply via their energy supplier.

You can find your energy supplier’s contact details on any paperwork or on its website.

Energy bill grants

A number of energy firms offer cash grants to customers struggling to cover the cost of bills.

And because they are grants that means you don’t have to pay the money back.

The British Gas Individual and Families Fund is one such fund, although it closes on March 8.

EDF, Scottish Power, Octopus Energy and E.On also have grant schemes in place for eligible customers.

Bear in mind, eligibility criteria for these schemes varies depending on the supplier.

However in most cases you’ll have to prove you are struggling to pay your energy bills, say for example if you’ve fallen into arrears.

You can find out more about help you might be in line for by visiting the energy firms’ websites.

Help to Save

The Help to Save account is a savings account for those on certain benefits which pays back 50p for every £1 you put in it, up to a maximum of £25 a month.

You can take the money out of your account after two or four years, with the total bonus you can get worth £1,200 – this is £25 multiplied by 48 months.

You can open a Help to Save account if you are on Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit.

You also qualify if you’re on Universal Credit and you (with your partner if it’s a joint claim) had take home pay of £722.45 or more in your last monthly assessment period.

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis has previously branded the interest earned on a Help to Save “unbeatable”.

You can apply for a Help to Save account via the Government’s website.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

The Sure Start Maternity Grant is available to new or expectant mothers and worth up to £1,000.

The cash is designed to cover the cost of having a child and for those on certain benefits including Universal Credit and Pension Credit.

The grant doesn’t have to be paid back and doesn’t affect your other benefits or tax credits.

The exact eligibility criteria and how much of a grant you can get depends on whether you have one child or more.

You should check out the Government’s website for more details on how to apply or read more about the scheme in our piece here.

Free cash for school uniforms

Parents struggling with school costs can claim cash worth up to £580 to cover the cost of uniform through school uniform grants.

But eligibility varies depending on where you live so you should get in touch with your local authority to find out what’s available.

In some cases, there’s no support on offer at all, so it can be a bit of a postcode lottery.

That said, they are usually on offer to people on certain benefits such as Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s allowance and child tax credits.

Free childcare

If you’re on Universal Credit you can get up to 85% of the cost of childcare paid to you up front.

You can get up to £951 paid for one child or £1,630 for two or more.

You used to have to pay your childcare costs yourself up front and then claim the money back through Universal Credit.

But now you can get it covered without having to fork out first after a change to rules that was a huge win for The Sun’s Make Universal Credit Work campaign.

If you’re not on Universal Credit, you might be able to take advantage of other childcare support, including up to 30 hours free childcare.

Plus parents can now apply for 15 hours of free childcare for two-year-olds.

You can apply for help with your childcare costs by logging into your online Universal Credit journal.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk