Thousands of families have just weeks left to apply for £300 free cash – can you claim?

THOUSANDS of households have just weeks left to apply for £300 in free cash to help with the cost of living.

The support comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421million.

The pot of money has come from central government and been allocated to councils across England.

Each council decides how to allocate their portion of the cash – that means what you’ll get will depend on where you live.

Residents in Guildford, Surrey, are set to receive up to £400 in free cash direct into their bank accounts.

Meanwhile, thousands of households in Blackpool are being urged to apply for £300 in free energy bill cash.

And residents in Harrow, London, have just weeks left to apply for free cash worth up to £300.

Harrow Council is offering 750 households one-off cash payments worth £300 direct into their bank accounts.

But the scheme is only open for eligible residents until January 31, 2023, so you’ll need to apply soon.

The council only has a limited amount of cash as well so you should apply earlier rather than later to avoid missing out.

To get the £300 payment you have to meet certain eligibility criteria.

You must be responsible for paying for energy in the property you live in and no one else in your household can have received help via the Household Support Fund before.

Plus, if you’ve already received the £650 cost of living payment or £150 disability cost of living payment you won’t be eligible.

And you have to meet a number of other criteria, including receiving certain benefits.

For the full details, you should check out Harrow Council’s website.

You can apply for the £300 payment on Harrow Council’s website – but bear in mind you’ll need to submit evidence proving your eligibility.

On top of the £300 payments, households on low incomes in Harrow are being sent vouchers worth £100.

This includes households on housing benefit, because this group was not eligible for the £650 cost of living payment or £150 disability cost of living payment.

Plus, care leavers moving to a permanent accommodation who haven’t qualified for any government support will get the vouchers.

The vouchers can be used to buy food and other essential items like winter clothes, blankets and energy efficient appliances.

They can be redeemed at major high street supermarkets and retailers like Argos and Currys.

But the vouchers will expire after three months so households will need to redeem them quickly.

Can I get help if I don’t live in Harrow?

Simply put, yes. If you don’t live in Harrow, you should be able to get help.

But it’s a bit of a postcode lottery as each council is deciding how to distribute their portion of the HSF.

In some areas, council’s have run out of money to give to eligible households too.

How the help is being distributed depends on where you live.

Some councils are handing out vouchers to be used to help people pay for energy bills, food and other everyday essentials.

Whereas in other areas, local authorities are transferring money direct into bank accounts.

You might have a deadline to apply for any help in your area – you should check with your council if you’re not sure.

Households in Shropshire are getting £180 free cash paid directly into their bank accounts before Christmas for example.

Meanwhile, Tandridge Council is handing out up to £300 in free cash to households.

We’ve put together a list of the councils making bank transfers to households before Christmas.

In other news, we reveal the full list of over 500 postcodes getting up to £50 in cold weather payments following the cold snap.

Plus, you can take a look at the new bank notes featuring King Charles III’s face here.