THOUSANDS of households have just days left to claim £75 free cash in supermarket vouchers.
Families with little money to pay bills have been able to claim free assistance from their local council since October 2021.
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As part of the Household Support Fund (HSF), the government dished out £500million to councils nationwide.
The level of support available differs across the country, but councils have to allocate the latest round of the Household Support Fund cash by March 31.
This means there is just days left to apply for this round of funding, unless councils have already exhausted their portion of the pot sooner.
For example, thousands of residents in Bracknell Forest are eligible for a supermarket voucher of £75 per child.
To apply, you must be in receipt of qualifying benefits with your child having to meet the following criteria to be eligible:
- Child is under 5 years old in an early years setting
- Child is 16 to 18 years old in full time education
- Young person is aged 16 to 25 years old in full time education with an Education, Health and Care plan
- Child is home educated
- Child attends an out of borough school where they are not eligible for equivalent support from their education authority
Eligible applications after 1 March 2023 will receive a single £75 voucher although the council may close applications before the end of the month if the full Household Support Fund grant has been distributed.
If you’re not sure which council is in charge of your area, you can tap your postcode into the government’s local council checker tool to find out.
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For many districts you’ll need to act now as the deadline to apply or redeem your cash is this month.
The most common types of support provided are supermarket vouchers, fuel vouchers and one-off payments.
You’ll usually need to be on a low income to receive the help.
And it’s done on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Those living in Ealing were also eligible to get £75 in supermarket vouchers over February and March.
Your local council will likely have its own version of the scheme going and you should get in contact with them to find out more.
Meanwhile, thousands of residents in Plymouth are due electronic vouchers to help pay for food and other essentials at supermarkets.
And eligible households can get up to £180 in free supermarket vouchers depending on their circumstances.
If you need help but you’re not eligible for this money, you might be able to grab free cash towards your energy bills from your energy supplier.
For those on benefits, you may be able to grab £1000s worth of free cash support that you didn’t know about.
