You could be benefitting from cut-price broadband today.
The Government is supporting people with their households bills, working with providers to offer social tariffs to those struggling to afford broadband or phone services. Social tariffs offer cheaper, reliable broadband and phone packages to those on low incomes. For some, accessing this could mean a saving of around £180 a year.
Find out if you qualify. Visit ofcom.org.uk/cheap-broadband
useful links
Find out if you qualify. Visit ofcom.org.uk/cheap-broadband
Help Paying for your childcare
TAX-FREE CHILDCARE – GET UP TO £2000 PER CHILD
- For working families, including the self-employed, in the UK
- Earning under £100k and at least £152 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage) each
- Who aren’t receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
- With children aged 0-11 (or 0-16 if disabled)
- For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year
15 Hours Free Childcare for 2 year olds
- For families in England, receiving some forms of support
- With 2-year-old children
- 15 hours of free childcare or early education for 38 weeks
- To be able to take up 15 hours of free childcare for your two-year-old you or your child must meet the eligibility criteria. Please visit GOV.UK for further information.
- A total of 570 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare provider
- Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week
Find out more about similar schemes in Scotland, Wales / Cymru, and Northern Ireland
Useful Links
15 HOURS FREE CHILDCARE FOR 3 & 4 YEAR OLDS
- For all families in England
- With 3 and 4-year-old children
- 15 hours of free childcare or early education for 38 weeks
- A total of 570 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare provider
- Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week
Find out more about similar schemes in Scotland, Wales / Cymru, and Northern Ireland.
USEFUL LINKS
Cost of living payment schemes
There are many Government support schemes at the moment to help with the cost of living as prices increase. It can be hard to work out what you are entitled to and when. The government has announced when further Cost of Living Payments will be made between spring 2023 and spring 2024. These payments are:
| Who? | What? | When? |
|---|---|---|
| People on low income benefits | Up to £900 | Spring 2023-Spring 2024 |
| Pensioner Households | £300 cost of living payment | Spring 2023-Spring 2024 |
| Disability benefit claimants | £150 cost of living payment | Spring 2023-Spring 2024 |
Alternative payment arrangements
If you’re facing financial issues that are affecting your ability to manage your money, and/or you are are in arrears with your rent, the Department for Work and Pensions may be able to offer an Alternative Payment Arrangements.
This means they could pay housing costs of Universal Credit directly to your landlord, offering payments more frequently than monthly, or splitting payment between partners.
Useful links
Alternative Payment Arrangements
Gov.uk
Warm Home discount
The Warm Home discount scheme has undergone some changes and will now be used to help even more people in England and Wales.
The main changes include increasing the value to £150, and continuing to provide rebates to one million low income pensioners while creating a new group of households on low incomes with high energy costs to benefit from the scheme.
Other government heating schemes include cold weather payments of £25 for each 7-day period of very cold weather between 1st November and 31st March, to all eligible households; and winter fuel payments to residents born on or before 25th September 1956.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2022 to 2023 has closed. The scheme will reopen again in October 2023.