Coronavirus Test and Trace Support Payments

You may be eligible for the NHS test and trace support payment scheme of £500 (GOV.UK) to support eligible low paid workers whose earnings are affected by staying at home and isolating for 10 days. If you are not eligible for that you may be eligible for a discretionary payment of £500. If you have started to self-isolate you can apply for help now.
 

Check if you are eligible

We've put together a flowchart to guide you through the process of applying for a Coronavirus Test and Trace Support Payment.

You can use this to see what you need to do to apply and if you are eligible for a payment.
 

How to apply

You can apply using our online form.

Apply for a payment
 

You need to claim within 42 days of your first day of self isolation. If you apply after 42 days, we will not be able to accept your application.
 

Please note that this scheme is due to end on 31 March 2022.

Use this form to apply for a payment if you meet the eligibility criteria. You can also use the form to apply for a discretionary payment.
 

Changes from 30 November 2021

From 30 November 2021, all close contacts of a suspected or confirmed case of the Omicron variant will be required to self-isolate, regardless of any exemptions from self-isolation, such as their age or vaccination status.

This means the following groups may be eligible for Test and Trace Support Payments if they meet the eligibility criteria:

• people who are fully vaccinated who are identified as a suspected or confirmed contact of someone with the Omicron variant
• people taking part in workplace daily contact testing schemes who are identified as a suspected or confirmed contact of someone with the Omicron variant
• a parent or guardian of a child who is a contact of someone suspected or confirmed to have the Omicron variant
   

Changes from 16 August 2021

From 16 August 2021, people who are fully vaccinated and who are identified as contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate. This will mean that fully vaccinated contacts are ineligible for Test and Trace Support Payments from 16 August 2021 (unless they test positive, at which point they would become eligible).

From this date, anyone under 18 who is a contact will also be exempt from self-isolation. This will mean that most parents and guardians will be ineligible for Test and Trace Support Payments if their child is identified as a contact, as the child will no longer be required to self-isolate. As children who have tested positive will still be required to self-isolate, their parents and guardians will still be eligible, regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated (as they may need to stay at home and look after their child).

More information on the removal of self-isolation for double-jabbed close contacts from 16 August on GOV.UK.
 

Eligibility

If you have been told by the NHS to self-isolate, either because you have tested positive for COVID-19 or you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, you may be eligible to apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment.

Who is eligible

To be eligible to apply for our scheme you must be a local resident and meet all the following criteria:

• you must have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, either because you have tested positive for COVID-19 or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
• the NHS Test and Trace will give you your own unique reference number, which you will need to provide to us
• you must be employed or self-employed
• you must be unable to work from home and will lose income as a result of having to stay at home and self-isolate
• you must be currently receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, income-based Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit

Eligibility for a parent whose child is isolating

You must be the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and need to take time off whilst they are self-isolating.

This is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person's isolation period.

Your child or young person must:

• be under 15, or under 25 with an Education Health and Care Plan (ECH)
• normally attend an education or childcare setting
• have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, or by their educational or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive on, or after 8 March 2021

You can claim up to six weeks (42 days) after the child or young person's first day of self-isolation.

You can claim more than once for the same child, or different children, but only if the isolation periods do not overlap.

Who is not eligible?

You will not be eligible for the scheme if you:

• are an international arrival from a red list country
• are an international arrival from a non-red list country who is not fully vaccinated and are over 18
• continue to receive full wages while you self-isolate
• can work from home during a period of self-isolation
• are no longer required to self-isolate i.e. your period of self-isolation ends before the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme launched on 28 September 2020
• have not received a notification from NHS Test and Trace telling you to self-isolate or your child or young person has not been told to self isolate by their educational or childcare setting
• are quarantining and receiving furlough payments

If someone in your household has a possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection you can find guidance on how to isolate at home on GOV.UK.
 

Discretionary payments

We have been given some additional funds so that we can support people who do not meet the government's eligibility criteria. If you are not currently in receipt of Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, income-based Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit, but meet all other standard criteria elements, you may be able to apply for a discretionary payment.

To validate your bank account details, we need to share relevant information you've given us with TransUnion. This will be used to ensure your support payment is paid to the correct bank account and to help prevent fraudulent use of support payments.

This is not a credit check and won't impact your credit rating.

The TransUnion Privacy Centre has more information on how they may use your data.

You will also need to take note of the:

• changes from Tuesday 30 November
• changes to the requirement to self-isolate from Monday 16 August

Read our policy for the Test and Trace Discretionary Payments Scheme [263.34KB].
 

Find out more

You can find more information about the scheme on our frequently asked questions page.
 

What happens next

When we have received your application we'll decide whether we can offer you a support payment.

We aim to notify you of a decision as soon as possible, please do not contact us again. If we require further information we will contact you.