THOUSANDS of households are eligible for free cash grants worth up to £120 to cover the cost of living this month.
The help comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421million to councils in England.
The fund is a central pot of money that has been distributed to local authorities who then decide who to offer help to.
Each council has been given a different amount of funding to share between residents in need.
Town hall chiefs get to decide what type of help to offer too, whether that be cash grants or vouchers.
Wokingham Borough Council, in Berkshire, has been given £500,000 to share among residents in need.
The local authority is distributing help in the form of food vouchers and cash grants.
The food vouchers are being issued to families with children receiving means-tested free school meals.
Support is also being offered to other households struggling to pay for food, energy bills and other everyday essentials and on benefits.
Pensioners, carers and disabled people qualify for grants worth £120 while all other households can get grants of £60 paid into their bank accounts.
How you apply for help depends on your circumstances. If you’re aged 50 or over you need to get in touch with Age UK Berkshire.
You can call on 0118 959 4242 or email info@ageukberkshire.org.uk.
Those under 50 should contact Citizens Advice Wokingham on 0808 278 7958 or via www.citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk/hsf.
You might be able to get help if you live outside Wokingham, but there are no guarantees.
Each council in England has been given a share of the £421million pot and can decide how to distribute its portion.
That means what you are entitled to depends on where you live but usually you qualify if you’re on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable.
For example, households in Darlington are eligible for £100 free cash grants to cover the cost of living.
Meanwhile, pensioners in Wakefield can get vouchers worth up to £120.
Contact your local council if you think you’re eligible for help. You can find what council area you fall under by visiting www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
In any case, you’ll need to apply sharpish as councils have until March 31 to allocate their share of the latest round.
You might be eligible for other support if you don’t qualify for the Household Support Fund.
You could get a grant from your energy firm if you’ve fallen behind on your bills.
British Gas and Octopus Energy both have schemes that offer to pay you non-repayable grants.
Other energy companies are handing out freebies like electric blankets and air fryers too, including Octopus Energy and EDF.
It’s worth checking if you can get your council tax bill reduced or even wiped completely if you’re on a low income or benefits too.
For example, single person households can get a 25% discount while pensioners on the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit can get up to 100% off.
Check if you qualify for benefits – billions of pounds’ worth is going unclaimed, according to Policy in Practice.
There are three major free calculators you can use to see what you might be entitled to:
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
