Support available from government

The government can provide:

• support with your income
• help with your bills
• help with childcare costs
• housing support
• help with transport costs
• help finding work

If you have a low income, the NHS Low Income scheme could help you pay for:

• NHS prescription charges
• NHS dental treatment charges
• the cost of sight tests, glasses and contact lenses
• the cost of travelling to receive NHS treatment
• NHS wigs and fabric supports (check with your hospital for their arrangements for supplying NHS wigs)

How much help you get depends on your weekly income and necessary outgoings, plus any savings or investments you have at the time you apply.

The government has announced £100m of additional funding to support the most vulnerable households in England.

This funding will allow us to deliver additional support to households who are already receiving council tax support (CTS) along with other vulnerable groups. A payment of up to £25 per household will be automatically deducted from 2023/24 council tax bills.

There will also be a discretionary fund which will be accessible to financially vulnerable households through an application process in 2023. We will update this webpage with more details when the application process is open.

The Household Support Fund initially provided financial support to households struggling with the cost of living over the winter period in 2021.

The government announced an extension of the scheme in spring 2023 supporting vulnerable households, including pensioners and those with children.

Find out more on our Household Support Fund page.

If you have children, there is support available to help with childcare costs.

You can find out more on the childcare choices website.

Check if you could get a one-off payment of £500 to help towards the costs of having a child. This is known as a Sure Start Maternity grant.

If you have any queries regarding the cost of living payments, the cost of living payments 2023 to 2024 webpage on GOV.UK is a good place to start. There is also a British Sign Language version on YouTube with information on the cost of living payment.

You may get cold weather payments if you’re getting:

• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit
• Support for Mortgage Interest

If you're eligible, you will get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days.

Cold weather payments are different to winter fuel payments.