MILLIONS of households on Universal Credit could qualify for thousands in extra cash this Christmas.
Costs are already high but with days getting colder and the festive season around the corner, Brits will soon be spending even more.
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But there is financial help you can get.
From free cash, free childcare and discounted school uniforms, we’ve rounded up what help you can get.
You may not qualify for all of it, but if you do, it’s worth £7,597 in total.
Warm Home Discount – £150
The Warm Home Discount is a £150 discount off energy bills, and payments usually begin in October.
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As it is a discount, no money is paid to you.
People living in England and Wales don’t need to apply for the Warm Home Discount as of this year.
You get the payment automatically if your electricity supplier is part of the scheme and you qualify.
Bear in mind that this might not come before Christmas – payments are made between October and March.
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Winter Fuel Payment – up to £600
The £300 winter fuel payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help with heating costs through the colder months.
Most people who are eligible get it automatically like if you receive the state pension or benefits.
You’ll get a letter in October and November telling you about the payment and then most people should be paid in November and December.
However, you won’t necessarily qualify just because you claim housing benefit, council tax reduction, child benefit or Universal Credit.
If you do meet the criteria but don’t automatically get the winter fuel payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.
You’ll qualify for a winter fuel payment if both of the following apply:
- you were born on or before September 25, 1956
- you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 19 to 25, 2023 in what is known as the “qualifying week”
But on top of the regular payment, the Government is topping it up with a £150 or £300 pensioner cost of living payment, meaning you could receive up to £600 in total.
In most cases, you won’t have to apply and the payment will be made automatically from November.
On Thursday, reports said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak floated the idea that the WFP could be scrapped to make more room for the pension triple lock.
The Department for Work and Pensions refused to deny watering down the payments was being looked at as a cost-saving option.
But No10 pushed back against the claim.
Second cost of living payment – £300
The government is making the next round of payments to help with the rising cost of living.
The £300 cost of living payment will hit the bank accounts of people on certain benefits between October 31 and November 19.
Meanwhile, households on tax credits only will receive their payment from HMRC between November 10 and 19.
You will see the code “DWP COL” show up on your statement, along with your National Insurance number.
In total, people will receive up to £900 in instalments with another £299 payment due to come in spring 2024.
Cold Weather Payments – £25
As temperatures drop, thousands of households can get a payment to help with costs worth £25 a week.
The payments happen between November 1 and March 31.
You’ll get £25 for each seven days of very cold weather during this period.
The payment will be made automatically if you qualify within 14 days.
You should be able to spot the payment on your bank statement as it will have your National Insurance number followed by the code DWP CWP for people in England and Wales.
Household Support Fund – up to £1,000
Each council across the UK has a pot of money which is dedicated to providing a bit of extra cash to hard-up households.
What you can get will depend on your circumstances and the pot of money your local council has.
Some might get supermarket vouchers while others will transfer money to your bank account.
You may have to apply for the money yourself, though some councils will send it to you automatically – make sure you know what yours is doing.
For example, residents living in Torridge can get between £600 and £1,000.
Those living in the borough of East Riding, Yorkshire can get £350 for free.
The first payment is £150 and will be made within 20 days once your application has been accepted.
Free childcare – £1,630
Thirty hours of free childcare is available to some parents in England with children aged three and four.
It allows you to access 30 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year – during school term time.
And thanks to a change that was introduced this summer, childcare costs will be paid upfront for many parents and the amount they get has gone up.
It’s a huge win for The Sun’s Make Universal Credit Work campaign, and around 120,000 families on Universal Credit who are eligible for childcare payments will benefit.
In August, the amount of cash parents can claim rose from £646 to £951 for one child, and from £1,108 to £1,630 for two – an increase of £522.
School uniform grants – £100s
Families struggling with the cost of living can get £100s in free cash to help pay for school uniforms.
Local councils have the authority to provide parents with grants to help them buy skirts, trousers and more under the Education Act 1990.
There isn’t any specific criteria that means you qualify but it’s often those on Universal Credit and other benefits.
On top of that, there are local charities and retailers that offer discounted school uniforms for hard-up families.
For example, the Uniformerly website allows parents and schools to buy and sell outgrown school uniforms.
It also encourages families to be more sustainable by recycling old, unwanted clothes and purchasing secondhand.
Children who qualify for free school meals will usually also qualify for school uniform grants as well, so long as your council offers grants.
What you can get depends on where you live, as there’s no statutory duty to offer grants across the whole of the UK.
The best thing to do is contact your local council or a local charity to see if you can get any help, and then find out what the application process involves.
Energy bill grants – up to £1,500
Many suppliers offer energy bill help through hardship funds and give out grants.
These can be worth up to £1,500 and you don’t need to repay the cash.
British Gas has a hardship fund for struggling households – and you don’t have to be a customer to apply.
The cash can be used to pay off energy bill arrears, but you need to get debt advice first to be eligible – find out more about how to apply.
Other suppliers are also offering similar help to their own customers.
Check with yours directly to see what they offer. Eligibility and how much you get can vary between them.
Sure Start grant – £500
Some new parents can get £500 in free cash through a pretty unknown scheme.
The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a payment that comes from the Government and is issued to new or expectant parents.
The money is designed to help you cover the costs of having a child.
You usually qualify if you’re pregnant with your first child or are expecting a multiple birth (such as twins) and have children already.
Either you or your partner must also be receiving any of the below benefits:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Universal Credit
You may also qualify if you are receiving Support for a Mortgage Interest loan.
Your income or the amount you get of any of these payments or benefits doesn’t matter but there are also exceptions to these rules.
For example, you can usually only get one of the grants if you have no other children under 16.
But you might be able to get the £500 if you are expecting twins, the child you’re caring for is someone else’s or you’re claiming for a family member who is under 16.
You can make a claim for the grant by filling in the Sure Start Maternity Grant (SF100) claim form.
You have to claim the grant within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date or within six months of its birth.
For more information head over to the government website.
Free travel and childcare when looking for work – £150
The Restart Scheme is designed to help those who’ve been on Universal Credit for more than a year and launched last year.
It can help cover the costs associated with finding a job, including travel, childcare and other expenses.
If you’re on the scheme ask the provider or your work coach about how to claim.
The Flexible Support Fund is a pot of money that has been put aside by the government to help you with the costs of getting a job.
The fund is managed by local job centres and can be used to cover the following costs of job hunting:
- Training for a job, up to £150
- Travel to interviews
- Childcare
- Tools for work
- Cost of medical evidence required by a disabled person
- Clothing and uniforms to start work
- Support for single parents in financial emergencies in the first 26 weeks of starting a job.
You can find out more about how to apply in our guide.
The Jobcentre Plus travel card is available for free and cuts the cost of travelling on public transport, including buses and trains, by 50%.
If you’re on the scheme ask the provider or your work coach about how to claim.
The Flexible Support Fund is a pot of money that has been put aside by the government to help you with the costs of getting a job.
The fund is managed by local job centres and can be used to cover the following costs of job hunting:
- Training for a job, up to £150
- Travel to interviews
- Childcare
- Tools for work
- Cost of medical evidence required by a disabled person
- Clothing and uniforms to start work
- Support for single parents in financial emergencies in the first 26 weeks of starting a job.
You can find out more about how to apply in our guide.
The Jobcentre Plus travel card is available for free and cuts the cost of travelling on public transport, including buses and trains, by 50%.
All train operators in England, Scotland and Wales accept the discount and cards are valid for up to three months.
But just because you’re on benefits, it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get one – they’re handed out by Jobcentre staff on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the work coaches.
To find out if you qualify for the boost, speak to your work coach at your nearest Jobcentre, which you can find via Gov.uk.
Help to save – £1,200
Not everyone is in a position to save, but if you are it’s worth getting a specific account that offers a generous bonus.
With the Help to Save account, anyone on Universal Credit can put away between £1 and £50 every month and you get a 50% bonus on top.
If you save the maximum amount over four years you can get a sum of £1,200 from the government, topping up your own savings of £2,400.
But you can still get some of the bonus even by saving a small amount – check out how it works.
Of course, it’s important to note that you wouldn’t get the full £1,200 boost in time for Christmas.
Healthy Start – £442
New or expectant parents can get up to £442 worth of free food a year through the relatively unknown Healthy Start scheme.
It’s open to anyone more than 10 weeks pregnant or with a child under four years old and on benefits.
If eligible, you are issued a Healthy Start card which you can use in a number of supermarkets and retailers.
You can use the card to buy plain liquid cow’s milk, fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses and infant formula milk.
You can also use it to purchase vitamins and vitamin drops for your baby or young child.
The maximum amount you can get your card topped up by is £8.50 a week, which totals £442 a year.
You will also normally need to be claiming one of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit with a family income of £16,190 or less per year
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit with no earned income or total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family
However, you can also apply for the scheme if you are under 18 and not on any benefits.
Recent figures suggest over 200,000 parents across the UK are missing out on the help, so why not see if you’re eligible and save yourself some money?
For more on the scheme and how to apply you can go to the government website.
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Alternatively, you can print out a paper form from the Healthy Start website or request one from your GP or midwife.
There’s also an option to request one from the Healthy Start helpline on 0345 607 6823.
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