The Social Fund

• Help with exceptional expenses which are hard to pay out of your regular income.
• You may be able to get a Community Care Grant, Budgeting Loan or Crisis Loan to help with things like household items, certain travel costs or in an emergency or disaster.
• For Grants or Budgeting Loans you must be getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. For Crisis Loans you do not have to be getting any benefits.
• You do not have to have paid NI contributions to get help from the Social Fund.
• Budgeting Loans and Crisis Loans have to be paid back, but they are interest free. Funeral Payments usually have to be paid back from out of the estate of the person who has died. Community Care Grants and other Social Fund payments do not have to be paid back.

• Maternity Payments can help with things a new baby needs immediately.
• Funeral Payments can help with the costs of arranging a funeral.
• Cold Weather Payments can help with extra heating expenses in cold weather.
• Winter Fuel Payments are paid to pensioner households to help with their winter fuel bills.
• If you want any other information on the Social Fund, get leaflet GL18 Help from the Social Fund from your social security office.