Households can apply for £200 support payment now

UK households could be in line for an extra £200 boost as part of a government initiative. The Household Support Fund, which allows local councils to provide aid to residents on low incomes or those in financial need, typically offers energy or supermarket vouchers, non-repayable cash grants, or occasionally free appliances.

The fund has been extended seven times and is now open for applications until April 2026. Councils can use the funds to support struggling households in various ways, including through grants, vouchers, and bill assistance.

Birmingham City Council, for example, will offer grants of up to £200 to eligible households facing financial hardship, with applications reopening in June 2025. Those who have already completed the enquiry form will be added to a waiting list and contacted within six to eight weeks to complete their full application.

However, completing the enquiry form does not guarantee payment, as eligibility still needs to be confirmed, reports .

The Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) has updated its website with a notice informing the public: "Please be advised that enquiries will reopen in June 2025. If you are not currently on the waiting list, and it has now been 12 months since your household last received a grant payment, you will be able to submit a new enquiry once the scheme reopens in June 2025."

Further details have also been provided, clarifying that: "Please be advised that each household is only eligible to receive one £200 grant payment in a 12-month period. e.g. If you received a £200 payment on 28th February 2024, you cannot make another application until 1st March 2025. Any enquiry submitted before your eligibility date will be rejected."

The BVSC goes on to caution applicants about fraudulent behaviour: "The application system actively monitors submitted applications looking for signs of fraud and details of any attempts to make fraudulent applications and/or fraudulently receive grant funding may be shared with West Midlands Police. Receiving a grant from this fund will not impact on any other benefits you may be receiving or may be entitled to."

Elsewhere, Portsmouth Council is reportedly providing assistance to those experiencing "severe financial hardship" in the form of cash support, supermarket vouchers, or both, with some qualifying households acquiring up to £1,000 if they fall below specific income brackets. Meanwhile, in Solihull, local residents have accessed subsidies amounting to £500 to alleviate water and energy bills.

To qualify, households must have a combined yearly income of less than £31,000 and no savings, unless you're a pensioner where up to £5,000 is permitted. There also needs to be a vulnerable individual residing in the household, and the household must be receiving a qualifying benefit.

More information on the most recent round of Household Support Fund assistance can be found