CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
If you are losing income because you have:
- tested positive for coronavirus and/or
- been told to self isolate by the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect system or the NHS Covid-19 app
you might be able to apply for a £500 self-isolation payment.
Parents and carers of children who have been told to self-isolate by the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect system or by their nursery/school/college can also apply.
To qualify for the payment you must either be:
- receiving statutory sick pay (SSP)
- working and earning less than £500 per week, or
- getting one of the following benefits:
- universal credit (UC)
income based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
income based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
working tax credit
income support
housing benefit
pension credit.
You will need to contact your local council to apply. Find details of your local council and how to apply here.
If your application is approved, you should receive confirmation by email or letter within 3 working days.
If you do not receive one of the benefits above you may still be eligible for a discretionary payment if you have been formally told to self-isolate. Contact your local council for more details.
Discretionary Assistance Fund
The Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) provides urgent grants to people in Wales as a last resort. Take a look at our advice below for more details on how to apply.
Between 1 May 2020 and 31 March 2021, if you make an application to the DAF because of hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the application should be dealt with more flexibly than usual.
During this period you are able to make up to 5 rather than 3 claims in a 12 month period and you do not have to wait for 28 days from your last grant before you receive another one.
Rent arrears
If you are struggling to pay your rent during the pandemic there might be some financial help available:
- if you already receive housing benefit or universal credit (UC) housing costs you could apply for a discretionary housing payment to ‘top-up’ your rent
- if you are not already receiving housing benefit or universal credit (UC) housing costs and you rent from a private landlord you might be able to apply for a Tenancy Saver Loan. The loan will be paid direct to your landlord and will have to be paid back within 5 years.