Get help with the cost of living

If you don’t have enough money to live on, you might be able to get help to afford essentials like bills and food. This includes the Household Support Fund and cost of living payments.

You should check if you can claim benefits - you might be able to do this even if you work, have savings or own a home.

If you owe money and you're struggling to pay

You should speak to the organisations you owe money to – they might let you pay smaller amounts or take a break from payments.

Don’t ignore bills or letters about money you owe.

You can find out how to start dealing with your debts.

Check what benefits you can get

Lots of people miss out on benefits they’re entitled to - so it’s worth checking what you can get.

Claiming benefits might also let you get access to other financial help like cost of living payments and discounts on energy and transport.

You might be able to claim benefits or increase your current benefits if you’re:

• over 16 years old with a low income or no income

• sick or disabled, including if you have a mental health condition

• of State Pension age with a low income or no income

• a carer

• responsible for children

Check what benefits you can get.

Get your first benefit payment early

When you apply for benefits, you might be able to get your first payment early while you’re waiting for either:

• a decision on your application

• your first payment

This is called a 'short-term benefit advance'. You can get an advance for:

• Universal Credit

• Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• Carer’s Allowance

• Pension Credit

• State Pension

You’ll need to pay back the advance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will take an amount off your future payments until you've paid it back. For Universal Credit, you can spread the repayments over 24 months. For other benefits, you’ll usually repay your advance over 12 weeks.

If you've applied for Universal Credit, you can check how to get a Universal Credit advance payment.

If you’ve applied for a different benefit, contact the benefits office that's dealing with your claim. You can find their contact details on any letter or email you’ve had from them.

Report a missing Cost of Living Payment

The government has sent the final 'Cost of Living Payment'.

If you should have got a Cost of Living Payment, you can report a missing Cost of Living Payment on GOV.UK.

If you should have got a Cost of Living Payment with your Winter Fuel Payment, you should contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre. Check how to contact the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on GOV.UK.

If you’re not sure if you’re missing a Cost of Living Payment, you can check when they were sent. 

The Cost of Living Payments were sent at different times, depending on if you get:

• benefits based on your income

• a disability benefit

• Winter Fuel Payments and you’re over State Pension age

Get help with your energy bills

If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills or top up your prepayment meter, you might be able to get help - for example a fuel voucher or a grant from your energy supplier.

Check if you can get help to pay your energy bills.

You might be able to save money on your energy bills by switching to a different supplier, or to a different tariff with your current supplier. Check if you can switch.

Check how to make your home more energy efficient

If your home is energy efficient, you’ll pay less to heat your home and it will stay warm for longer.

It’s a good idea to look into making your home more energy efficient at any time of the year. This is because it can take a few months to sort things out - for example, to find someone who can do the work.

You might be able to apply for help with the cost of:

• a new boiler

• boiler repairs

• loft or cavity wall insulation

• a heat pump

Check if you can get help with the cost of energy efficiency.

Get help with essential costs

Your local council might help you pay for things like:

• your energy and water bills

• food

• essential items - for example, clothes or an oven

This help is known as 'welfare assistance' or the ‘Household Support Fund’. Each council runs their own scheme. You’ll need to check if you can get support and what type of support you can get.

Ask your local council if they run a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme. You can find out how to contact your local council on GOV.UK.

You don’t have to be getting benefits to get help from your local council. If you do get benefits, they won’t be affected if you start getting money from a welfare assistance or Household Support Fund scheme.

There are also other things you can do if you’re struggling to afford essentials like rent or food.

If you're struggling to pay for food, you might be able to get a referral to a food bank.

You can find out how to get help from a food bank.

If you need a warm, welcoming space

‘Warm welcome’ spaces are public places that anyone can use - for example a community space like a library. They’re free, warm, welcoming and safe.

You can ask your local council about warm welcome spaces near you. You can find out how to contact your local council on GOV.UK.

Some spaces are only open in winter and some are open all year. Each space is different, but they might offer things like:

• hot food and drink

• activities and the chance to learn new things

• a place to meet people in your community

• access to the internet and help to use a computer

Work out your budget

You should use a budgeting tool to help you understand:

• what money you've got coming in and what you have going out

• where you might be able to cut costs

You can use a budgeting tool.

Apply for a charitable grant

You might be able to get extra money from a charity to help with living costs. Some of these charitable grants are open to everyone. Others might be available based on your situation, for example:

• if you have a disability or health condition

• your age

• your previous or current job

You can check what help you can get from local and national charities on the Turn2us website. You’ll need to know your postcode.

If you’re over 55 and have a personal pension

You might be able to take some money from your pension savings to help pay for essential costs or to pay off your debts.

You should think about whether taking money from your pension is the best financial decision for you. Taking money from your pension will mean you have less income when you retire. If you’re getting benefits, taking money from your pension could affect your claim.

You can get free guidance on your pension options from Pension Wise. They’ll explain the different options so you can decide which is best for you.

You should also get financial advice before taking any money from your pension savings - you’ll have to pay. 

You can check how to find a financial adviser - they can tell you which option is best for you.

If you’re finding things difficult

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You should talk to your GP if your money problems are affecting your mental health. 

You can find other ways to get help with your mental health on the Mind website.

If you need to speak to someone 

You can speak to a trained volunteer at organisations like Samaritans or Shout.

Samaritans

Helpline: 116 123 (Monday to Sunday at any time)

Welsh Language Line: 0808 164 0123 (Monday to Sunday 7pm to 11pm)

Calls to Samaritans are free.

You can find other ways to get in touch with Samaritans on their website.

Shout

You can also text 'SHOUT' to 85258 to start a conversation with a trained Shout volunteer. Texts are free, anonymous and confidential from anywhere in the UK.

If you think it's an emergency

If you think your life or someone else’s is at risk, you should call 999 or go to A&E if you can.

You can also find a list of urgent mental health services on the Mind website.