Social Fund

Last updated October 2006

Social Fund is administered by Jobcentre Plus. The Social Fund provides lump sum payments, grants and loans. Loans and Community Care Grants from the Social Fund are discretionary and not for a standard amount. You may be able to get help from the Social Fund for important costs that are hard to pay for out of your regular income.

If you are leaving institutional care or a care home, need help to stay in your own home, are part of a family under exceptional pressure, are caring for a prisoner or young offender on release / licence, are setting up a home as part of a planned resettlement programme or incurring travel costs for certain specified reasons, you may be able to get a Community Care Grant.

(Institutional care or a care home means a place where you get a lot of care or supervision, like hospital, prison or residential care and nursing homes.)

If you need things for your home or other things that you cannot pay for in a lump sum, and you get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit, or payment on account of one of these benefits, you may be able to get a Budgeting Loan.

If you need immediate help with day-to-day living costs or something else in an emergency, you may be able to get a Crisis Loan.

If you need help to buy things for a new baby and you or your partner get a low-income benefit or tax credit, you may be able to get a Sure Start Maternity Grant.

If you get a low-income benefit or tax credit and need help towards paying for a funeral, you may be able to get a Funeral Payment.

You may be able to get a Cold Weather Payment when a period of cold weather is triggered in the area where you live. You may get one if you are receiving Pension Credit, or Income Support, or income based Jobseekers Allowance and have a pensioner or disability premium, or a child who is disabled or aged under five.

Winter Fuel Payments are paid to eligible people aged 60 or over to help towards their winter heating costs.

Definitions

Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales.

Remember that this website is only a general guide to benefits and schemes and is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. We have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website is correct at the date shown at the top of this page. However, changes in the law may make the website become gradually less accurate.