You can apply for help from the Discretionary Assistance Fund if you are not able to pay for what you need.
There are 2 types of Discretionary Assistance Fund payments:
- Individual Assistance Payment, and
- Emergency Assistance Payment.
Please note that you cannot apply for a Discretionary Assistance Fund grant if you have already received a grant in the last 7 days, or 3 grants in the last year.
Individual Assistance Payment (IAP)
The Individual Assistance Payment is a grant to:
- help you live independently in your current or new home, or
- help someone you care for live independently in their current or new home.
The grant will provide or supply:
- white goods (for example, a fridge, cooker or washing machine), and
- home furniture (for example, beds, sofas and chairs).
You can only apply for white goods and home furniture through an approved partner.
Who can apply?
To apply for the Individual Assistance Payment, you must:
- live in Wales,
- be 16 or over,
- have no access to other money,
- have tried using all other affordable sources of funding (for example, a credit union),
- not be living in a care home (unless being discharged in the next 6 weeks)
- not be in prison (unless being discharged in the next 6 weeks), and
- not be a member of a fully maintained religious order.
You must already be getting:
- income support,
- income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Guaranteed Credit element of Pension Credit, or
- Universal Credit (standard or personal allowance).
You must also:
- be leaving a care home or institution (for example, a hospital, prison or foster care) to live independently after at least 3 months,
- want to stay living in your community rather than having to go to an institution,
- be setting up home after an unsettled way of life,
- need to move home quickly due to a relationship breakdown or domestic violence, or
- be caring for a prisoner or young offender released on a temporary licence.
Emergency Assistance Payment (EAP)
The Emergency Assistance Payment is a grant to help pay for essential costs (for example, food, gas electricity, clothing or emergency travel), if you:
- are experiencing extreme financial hardship,
- have lost your job, and
- have applied for benefits and are waiting for your first payment.
Please note that you cannot use the Emergency Assistance Payment to pay for ongoing bills you cannot afford to pay.
Who can apply?
To apply for the Emergency Assistance Payment, you must:
- live in Wales,
- be 16 or over,
- be in a crisis situation and needing immediate financial support,
- be in extreme financial hardship,
- have no other money (for example, savings), and
- have considered all other legal and responsible lenders (for example, credit unions).
Examples of extreme financial hardship might be:
- you have lost your job, have applied for benefits and are waiting for your first payment, or
- you have no money to buy food, gas and electricity.
Apply
To apply for an Individual Assistance Payment, please contact the Money Advice Team.
You can apply for an Emergency Assistance Payment on the Welsh Government website.
Other help available
See more options that may be useful for you.
Budgeting loans
You may be eligible for budgeting loans if you have been on certain benefits for 6 months or more.
Budgeting loans are administered by the Department of Work and Pensions.
You can find out more about budgeting loans on the GOV UK website.
Universal Credit advance payments
If you have recently made a new claim, you may be able to get an advance payment. You will need to pay this money back from future benefit payments. You can request this through your Universal Credit journal.
Cost of living support
You can find out more about other schemes and help and support near you on the Money Advice website.