Social Fund Budgeting Loan provides financial assistance for essential household items, including furniture, clothing, footwear, and home improvements. These loans are interest-free.

Eligibility:

• You cannot receive a Budgeting Loan if you or your partner currently claim Universal Credit.
• You may be eligible if you or your partner have received Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Pension Credit for the past 26 weeks. Any time on Universal Credit counts toward these 26 weeks.
• Budgeting Loans can be used for various purposes, such as purchasing furniture, clothing, paying rent, moving expenses, job-related expenses, home maintenance, maternity or funeral costs, and repaying certain debts.

Effect on other benefits:

• A Budgeting Loan does not count as income and will not affect your other benefits.

How to apply:

• You can apply for a Budgeting Loan online or by phone.
• The loan amount depends on factors like the number of household members, existing Social Fund debts, your ability to repay, and your savings.

How the loan is paid:

• The loan is deposited into your provided bank account.
• Repayments are interest-free and deducted from your benefits.

Repayment period:

• Typically, you have up to 104 weeks to repay a Budgeting Loan.

Appeals:

• If you disagree with the loan decision, you can request a review within 28 days. If still dissatisfied, you can seek an Independent Case Examiner review, which should take no longer than 21 days.

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