Fillable Printable Budgeting Loans from the Social Fund Form
Fillable Printable Budgeting Loans from the Social Fund Form
Budgeting Loans from the Social Fund Form
Budgeting Loans
from the Social Fund
Please read these notes carefully. They explain the circumstances when
a loan can be paid. Different circumstances apply to payments of
Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans. If you think you may be
eligible for either of these types of payments, read the section on the
other side of this page.
You will need to fill in the right application form for the type of payment
you need. These are:
l
form SF300 for a Community Care Grant
l
form SF500 for a Budgeting Loan
l
form SF401 for a Crisis Loan
l
form SF100 (Sure Start) for a Sure Start Maternity Grant
l
form SF200 for a Funeral Payment
You must fill in a separate form for each one.
SF500 04/05
We cannot help with any other types of items or services.
Budgeting Loans have to be paid back but they are
interest free.
The maximum size of Budgeting Loan you can have depends
on your circumstances and whether you have any other
loans from the Social Fund that still have to be paid back.
The amount of any Budgeting Loan we may pay together
with the amount you still owe the Social Fund cannot be
more than £1,000.
To make a decision, the decision maker will look at
l how long you have been on benefit
l how many people there are in your household
l how much you already owe the Social Fund.
Savings
l If you and your partner are aged under 60, savings of more
than £500 may affect the amount of money you can get.
l If you or your partner are aged 60 or over, savings of more
than £1,000 may affect the amount of money you can get.
We cannot make a payment for a loan if you already owe
£1,000 or more to the Social Fund.
We cannot pay a Budgeting Loan for expenses of less
than £30.
Budgeting Loans
l
You may be able to get a Budgeting Loan if:
you have been getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s
Allowance, Pension Credit or payment on account of one of these
benefits or entitlements for at least 26 weeks
and
l
You need help
– to buy furniture or household equipment
– to buy clothing and footwear
– to pay rent in advance and/or removal expenses to secure fresh
accommodation
– to pay for home improvements, maintenance or security
– with travelling expenses
– to pay for things to help you look for or start work
– to repay HP or other debts that have been taken out.
How we decide what we can pay you
The decision maker will look at the relevant circumstances and
decide the maximum size of Budgeting Loan you can have, if you
have no existing Social Fund debt. Whether or not you can have a
loan of up to that amount will depend on if you already have a
budgeting loan debt.
Notes
How you pay back a loan
l We will look at what you can afford before we decide on the
arrangements for repayments.
l If we can pay you a Budgeting Loan, we may make you up to
three different offers. It will be up to you which of these offers
you can afford to pay back. We may not be able to lower the
repayment rate if you later feel you cannot afford the rate you
originally agree to.
l
If we can pay you a Budgeting Loan, we will ask you to agree
to repay it and also to agree the way you will repay it before
we make the payment.
l We will take the money back in weekly repayments from your
benefit. If you do not get any benefit, we will arrange for the
loan to be repaid in another way.
l If you have problems later on making the repayments as
originally agreed, we may be able to help, for example
reducing your payments by extending the repayment period.
Your local office can give you advice.
About your claim
l you are moving because you have had an unsettled way of life and an
organisation like a council or charity are resettling you, or
l you need help to travel for special reasons, or you need help because a prisoner
or young offender is going to be living with you while they are on release on a
temporary license.
Community Care grants do not have to be paid back.
Savings
l If you and your partner are aged under 60, savings of more than £500 may affect
the amount of money you can get.
l
If you or your partner are aged 60 or over, savings of more than £1,000 may
affect the amount of money you can get.
These notes give general guidance only and should not be
treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.
Community Care Grants
You may be able to get a Community Care Grant if
l you are already getting Income Support, income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance or Pension Credit.
or
l
you are likely to be getting Income Support, income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit or payment on
account of one of these benefits or entitlements, in the next
six weeks because you are leaving institutional care or
residential care.
and
l you are moving out of institutional care or residential care, or
l you need help to stay in your own home, or
l
your family is having very difficult problems, or
Crisis Loans
You may be able to get a Crisis Loan if
l you are aged 16 or over
and
l in an emergency or because of a disaster, you do not have enough money to
meet the immediate needs of yourself and your family, if you have one
and
l there is no other way to prevent serious damage or serious risk to the health,
or safety, of yourself or a member of your family.
You also may be able to get a Crisis Loan if you need help with paying rent in
advance
l
either in an emergency or as a consequence of a disaster, or
l
to a non-local authority landlord because you are moving out of a care home
or institutional care and a Community Care Grant is being paid to establish
you in the community.
Crisis Loans have to be paid back but they are interest free.
Help and advice
If you want more information
l Get in touch with your local office. You can find the phone number and address
on the advert in the business numbers section of the phone book. Look under
Jobcentre Plus or Social Security. See also
– leaflets GL18 Help from the Social Fund available from any of our offices, and
– SB16 A guide to the Social Fund. which can be found on our webside. The
address is www.dwp.gov.uk
l Get in touch with an advice centre like the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Please keep this page for your information
About you and your partner
Part 1
For office use only
Application number
Date of SFCS input
/ /
Date decision made
/ /
Initials
Signature
1
SF500 04/05
l
Before you complete this form, please read the notes sheet which
tells you about all types of help you can get from the Social Fund.
l
Use this form to apply for a
Budgeting Loan
. Complete this form in
ink, sign and date any alterations you make.
l If you are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
or Pension Credit, the person who both claims and gets paid that benefit
or entitlement should fill in this form.
You Your partner
Surname or family
name
Other surnames you
have been known by
National Insurance (NI)
number
Letters Numbers Letter Letters Numbers Letter
Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms
All other names in full
Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms
You can find the number on your National Insurance
(NI) numbercard, letters about your benefit or payslips
You can find the number on their National Insurance
(NI) numbercard, letters about their benefit or payslips
Address where you
live now
Tell us your partner’s
address, if different
Postcode Postcode
/ / / /
What is this number?
Please tick
Code Number Code Number
workHome mobile fax faxworkHome mobile
Are you or your partner
involved in a trade dispute?
We use trade dispute to mean
a strike, walk-out, lock-out or
any other dispute about work.
No
Yes
No
Yes
l
Tell us about yourself and your partner, if you have one.
We use partner to mean a person you are married to or a person
you live with as if you are married to them.
l
Fill in the form fully by answering all the questions and requests for
information. Your application may be delayed if we do not have
all the information we need.
Date of birth
Daytime phone number
Budgeting
Loans
from the
Social Fund
2
Part 2
About your children
Are you getting Income Support or
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance for
your children?
No
Yes
How much do you receive weekly?
Are you getting Child Tax Credit for your
children?
No
Yes
How much do you receive weekly?
Are you getting Child Benefit for your children?
No
Yes
How much do you receive weekly?
About what you need
Part 3
/ /
Please tell us about any children you are
getting a benefit or entitlement for.
Date of birthName
/ /
/ / / /
/ / / /
/ / / /
/ / / /
Name Date of birth
£
£
£
Furniture and household
equipment
Rent in advance or removal
expenses to secure fresh
accommodation
Travelling expenses
Improvement, maintenance and
security of the home
Expenses associated with
seeking or re-entering work
Repaying HP and other debts –
for any items or expenses
which are associated with the
categories above
Clothing and footwear
Budgeting loans can only be given for the
types of items or services listed in this part.
Please enter the total amount you need in the
Total amount applied for box for what you
need. Also tick the other category boxes that
apply to you.
We do not need any more information for this
Part 3.
Total amount applied for
£
About you and your partner
Part 3
3
About benefits and entitlements
Are you or your partner currently getting
Income Support, income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit or
payment on account of one of these
benefits or entitlements?
No Go to Part 9.
Yes
Tell us the date you have
been getting any of these
benefits or entitlements in
the last 3 years.
Has a partner or an ex-partner received
Income Support, income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit or
payment on account of one of these
benefits or entitlements for you, in the last
three years?
No
Yes
Tell us about this person.
Their name
Their National Insurance (NI)
number
Their address
Postcode
/ /
Date of birth
/ /
Date of separation
/ // /
From To
/ /
/ /
From To
Have you, or your partner if you have one,
received any of these benefits or entitlements,
in the last three years?
l
Working Families Tax Credit
l
Working Tax Credit which includes a disability
or severe disability element
l
Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the
family element.
From April 2005 to April 2006 this means a Child
Tax Credit of £548 a year or more, or £1096 a
year or more if you have a baby under one.
l
Housing Benefit
l
Council Tax Benefit.
No
Yes
Tell us which one. If more than one, tell us about the one you have been getting the longest.
Type of benefit or
entitlement
/ /
/ /
From To
/ /
/ /
From To
4
Part 4
About benefits and entitlements – continued
Has an ex-partner received any of
these benefits or entitlements, in the
last three years?
l
Working Families Tax Credit
l
Working Tax Credit which includes a
disability or severe disability
element
l
Child Tax Credit at a rate higher
than the family element.
From April 2005 to April 2006 this
means a Child Tax Credit of £548 a
year or more, or £1096 a year or more
if you have a baby under one.
l
Housing Benefit
l
Council Tax Benefit.
No
Yes
Tell us about this person.
/ /
/ /
From To
Their name
Their National Insurance (NI)
number
Their address
Postcode
/ /
Date of birth
Type of benefit or entitlement
Have you made this claim because you
have separated from someone?
No
Yes
Tell us about the person you have separated from.
Are you or your partner expecting a baby?
No
Yes
Is there more than one child expected, if so how many?
Their name
Their date of birth
/ /
Part 5
About you and your partner
5
Tell us about any other people who live in your home
Are there any people who are getting Income
Support, income-based Jobseeker’s
Allowance or Pension Credit and their
dependent children in your household?
Do not tell us about your partner or any children
you are getting money for.
No Please go to Part 6.
Yes
Complete the details below.
Name
Date of birth if
dependent child
Date of birth if
dependent child
Name
We need this information to help the decision
maker make a decision on your application.
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ / / /
6
Part 6
About money you have to pay out
Do you or your partner have any savings?
If you or your partner are aged under 60, savings
of more than £500 may affect the amount of
money you can get.
If you or your partner are aged 60 or over, savings
of more than £1000 may affect the amount of
money that you can get.
This can be things like:
l
bank, building society or Post Office® accounts
l premium bonds
l National Savings Certificates.
No
Yes
How much do you have?
£
Who do you pay the money to? How much are you paying and how often ? How much is owed ?
About savings
Part 7
Please tell us about any money that you or
your partner have to pay out regularly, but do
not include normal living expenses like gas
and electric charges or food bills.
Include things like catalogue money, hire
purchase, loan payments and fines.
l
If you need more space, use the box in Part 9.
£
£ every
£
£ every
£
£ every
Part 7
About you and your partner
7
Making payments to you
Our policy is to pay Social Fund payments directly into an account. This is the safest
way to pay you and lets you choose how and when you get your money. You can use
a bank or building society. You may be able to use a cash machine, which will usually
mean you can get your money at any time of the day or night. There are arrangements
with banks and building societies so that you can collect cash from some of their
accounts at your Post Office® branch.
The Post Office® also provides a bank account that we can pay benefits, pensions,
allowances and credits into. With this account you can only collect your money in cash
from Post Office® branches, however a Post Office® card account cannot be opened
solely for the use of a Social Fund payment.
Other advantages of getting your money paid into an
account are:
l You can get your money from many different places.
l From some accounts you can have regular bills paid. This could
save you money but you will need to make sure that there is
enough money in your account to pay the bills. If not, you may be
charged a fee.
Finding out how much is paid into the account
We will tell you when the first payment will be made and how much it
is for.
You can check your Social Fund payments on your account
statements.Your statements will show your National Insurance (NI)
number next to payments that are from us. A Post Office® card
account statement shows your payment details but not your National
Insurance (NI) number. If you think your payment is wrong, get in
touch with the office that pays you.
Sometimes we may pay too much money into the account
If this is because of the way the system works for payments direct
into an account, we have the right to recover any money you are not
entitled to. For example, you may give us information which means
you are entitled to less money but we may not be able to change the
amount already sent out. We will contact you first if we propose to
recover money under this rule.
Getting someone to collect your Social Fund payment
If you want someone else to collect your Social Fund payment for
you, you may be able to make arrangements with your bank, building
society or, if you have a Post Office® card account, the Post Office®.
Please ask them for help with this.
A – Payment direct into an account
8
Part 8
Making payments to you – continued
B – About the account you want to use
Please give your account details below
You can find the account details on the cheque book, passbook or statements.
If you are not sure about the details, ask the bank or building society, or the
Post Office® if it is a Post Office® card account.
What name or names is the account in?
Please write the name or names as they appear on the
cheque book, passbook or statement.
Full name of bank or building society
Print the full name of your bank or building society.
For a Post Office® card account write Post Office.
Sort Code
Please tell us all six numbers, for example: 12-34-56.
Account number. This is seven to ten numbers long.
Building Society roll or reference number – some
building societies accounts use a roll or reference
number. The number is on the passbook.
The roll or reference can contain letters and numbers and can be up to 18 characters long.
If you are not sure if the account has a roll or reference number, ask the building society.
More information if it is a building society account
In your name
Whose name or names is the account in?
We use partner to mean the person you are married to or
the person you live with as if you were married to them.
By ticking the box for an account that includes the
name of the person acting on your behalf, you confirm
that you will authorise them to use the money in the
way you tell them.
In the name of your partner
In the names of you and your partner
In the name of the person acting on your behalf
In the names of you and the person acting on your behalf
You may be getting other benefits that are not paid direct
into an account at the moment. If you now agree to have
them paid into this account, please tell us the name of the
benefit or benefits.
Please tick one box.
Part 8
About you and your partner
9
Making payments to you – continued
C – If you did not complete section B
If you have a bank or building society account but you do not wish to use it, for example,
a joint account, any bank or building society will help you open an account that suits you
better. Remember to ask whether their accounts allow you to get your money from the
Post Office®, if this is important to you.
l
Basic bank account
If you have had problems opening a current account, or if you
are worried about being overdrawn, you could ask any bank or
building society about opening a basic bank account. These are
sometimes called introductory or starter accounts and are
available from all major banks. These accounts offer free
banking but overdrafts are not available. You can use these
accounts to pay money in, pay bills automatically and get cash
out. Many basic bank accounts also allow you to get cash from
Post Offices®.
I intend to open an account.
I have not given details of an account, or
do not intend to open an account.
We will contact you about your payment.
Complete the claim form and send it to us now.
Do not wait until you have opened an account.
Complete the claim form and send it to us now.
Do not wait until you have opened an account.
What to do now
Tick the box that applies to you.
Please read the notes below then tick Box 1 or Box 2.
l
Post Office® card account
This is a simple bank account that can only have benefit payments
paid into it. Housing Benefit cannot be paid into it. You can only
collect payment from the account in cash at a Post Office®
branch. You will not have a cheque book and cannot withdraw
money at a cash machine. You will not be able to run up an
overdraft, pay bills by Direct Debit or Standing Order, or have your
salary or any other money paid in. The account can only be in
your name. You may be able to arrange with the Post Office® for
someone else to collect your benefit regularly from this account.
Box 1
Box 2
Any bank or building society will help you open an account.
If you want to get your money at the Post Office®, check that
the account allows you to do this. When you have the
account details, tell us straight away.
