The government announced on 17 November 2022 that additional funding will be provided for a new Household Support Fund 4 (HSF 4) for financially vulnerable families, from April 2023 to March 2024.
The aim was that the HSF 4 should primarily be used to support households in the most need with food, energy and water bills.
We approved the scheme in March 2023.
This grant is funded by the UK Government. See more information on cost of living support available from the government.
Applications to the Household Support Fund 4 2023 to 2024
There are 2 routes to apply for the new Household Support Fund, invitation and discretionary. Generally a customer may only receive payment through 1 application route.
Invitation applications
Customers considered to be eligible were sent an invitation letter with a link to a simple online form to gather up-to-date payment details.
The invitation letter included a link to the online claim form and unique reference number. Households needed to provide confirmation of their bank account details to receive their payment.
The invitations were sent out at the end of April and the application window was from 1 May 2023 to 11 June 2023.
For verified applications, a payment of £185 in relation to this scheme will be paid into the bank account details provided by the end of June 2023. A second payment of £185 will follow be the end of November, this will be paid automatically, you do not need to apply again.
Discretionary scheme applications
Any customer who requires assistance with food, energy or water bills and who did not receive an invite letter will be able apply through the discretionary application route.
All applications to the discretionary route will be through a means tested assessment which will require you to prepare some financial information. You may also be able to apply for exceptional financial circumstances relating to other essentials which will be assessed on a discretionary basis.
Any exceptional discretionary awards will be made on an individual basis as appropriate.
Check your eligibility before applying.
The discretionary HSF 4 is open from Monday 5 June and closes at midnight on Friday 31 March 2024.