Workers on low income who have been told by the NHS to self-isolate may qualify for a £500 support payment.
The money is available through the national Test and Trace Support Payment scheme and administered in the county by Buckinghamshire Council. It applies to eligible people who have received notification from NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate from Monday 28 September and will run until 31 January 2021.
To qualify for the payment a person needs to:
have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, either because they have tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
be employed or self-employed
be unable to work from home and as a result will lose income
be currently receiving any of the following:
o Universal Credit
o Working Tax Credit
o Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
o Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
o Income Support
o Housing Benefit and/or
o Pension Credit
In addition, a discretionary £500 lump sum payment may be available in exceptional circumstances to an individual who meets the main qualifying criteria for the Test and Trace Support Payment (they are a low-income worker who is unable to work because they are self-isolating) but who is not in receipt of qualifying benefits and could suffer financial hardship as a result of not being able to work.
Cllr Katrina Wood, Cabinet Member Resources, said: “We all have a crucial part to play in keeping the number of new infections down and protecting our loved ones.
“The payment is designed to support people if they will lose income as a result of self-isolating, and to encourage them to get tested if they have symptoms.
“As well supporting the person affected by making it easier for them to self-isolate without worrying about their finances, it will help to stop the transmission of the coronavirus.”
To see whether you qualify and to apply, go to https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/coronavirus/community-hub/help-individuals/money/test-and-trace-support-payment/
If you are unable, for whatever reason, to apply online please contact the Test and Trace Support Payment teams on:
· Aylesbury area: 01296 585858
· Chiltern area: 01494 732077
· South Bucks area: 01895 837515
· Wycombe area: 01494 412227
Further details about the scheme can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-legal-duty-to-self-isolate-comes-into-force-today