Exact date households must apply for up to £180 free cash to help with food and energy bills

THOUSANDS of households can apply for free cash support to cover food and energy bills – but make sure you don’t miss the deadline.

Up to £180 is up for grabs for hard-up households in Nottinghamshire through the Household Support Fund.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed that the Household Support Fund has been extended past April 2023 with a renewed £1billion fund.

Councils have been given a slice of the new pot of funding on offer, which will be given out to struggling residents to help pay for bills and essentials.

If you don’t know who your local council is, you can check here. You’ll just need to pop in your post code.

The vouchers or grants on offer vary by location and you’ll have to check to see how your council will pay you.

You’ll usually need to be on a low income to receive the help.

Cash-strapped households in the Nottinghamshire City Council catchment area can get help to cover the costs of food and energy bills this winter.

Households can get £90 for each child claiming free school meals – £30 towards food costs and £60 for covering energy costs.

If the household has more than one child eligible for free school meals, the household will receive an additional £30 per child towards their food costs.

For example, two eligible children can get £120 in support.

Three children could get £150, while households with four children could get £180 in support.

But if you think you may be eligible, you only have until January 31, 2023 to apply.

Eligible households can apply for the payment from now by completing an online form on the council’s website.

If anyone is unable to complete the form, they should contact the council’s customer service team.

It’s best to check in with Nottinghamshire County Council’s website to get more information about the scheme and to see if you are eligible.

Make sure you have information to hand about your financial situation, like any payslips or benefit payments you get.

How do I apply for the Household Support Fund?

Some households will be notified that they can apply for the cash help and others will receive the cash automatically.

Again, your council will set out whether or not you need to apply for the cash help.

For example, Torbay Council is giving eligible cash-strapped residents a maximum of £50 towards food, and where necessary, another £50 towards energy bills.

In Coventry, households can claim a one-off supermarket voucher worth £36.

Meanwhile, in Kensington and Chelsea residents can grab up to £150 to help cover household bills, food and clothing.

Is there other support available?

As part of the Autumn Statement yesterday, it was revealed millions on benefits and Universal Credit will receive an extra one-off £900.

Eight million households currently get cost of living payments worth up to £650, but eligibility criteria could change under any new rules.

Right now, eligibility is the list of benefits mentioned above.

Pensioners have also started getting a £300 one-off payment.

The current pensioner cost of living payment is being handed out to millions on a low income.

You qualify under the current rules if you normally get the winter fuel payment, but this could change under the new rules.

The £300 cost of living payment is paid on top of the other winter support.

You’ll need to be:

• born on or before 25 September 1956
• have lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of 19 to 25 September 2022 in what is known as the “qualifying week”;

Struggling families are eligible for the Warm House Discount to help them tackle the cost of living.

The scheme is where eligible households can get £150 off their electricity bill each winter – but you’ll have to wait until the colder months to get the money off.

Households in England and Wales don’t need to apply to get the cash and they’ll automatically qualify if they are receiving certain benefits.

You can read more about who’s eligible here.

There are also plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you’re struggling.

British Gas has recently confirmed that it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.

Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:

• British Gas Energy Trust
• Bulb energy fund
• EDF’s energy customer support fund
• E.on’s energy fund
• Npower’s energy fund
• Ovo’s debt and energy assistance
• Scottish Power’s hardship fund

There’s also a one-off fuel voucher from your energy supplier if you’re on a prepayment metre.