Guide · 5 minute read · Updated 10 Jul 2026

What cost-of-living grants and hardship help can I get in 2026?

More than you might expect, and a lot of it is grants you never repay. The landscape changed in April 2026 when the Household Support Fund was replaced, so this is the current picture: council crisis help, charitable grants, supplier hardship schemes and interest-free help from the benefits system.

Council help: the new Crisis and Resilience Fund

The Household Support Fund closed on 31 March 2026. In England it was replaced from 1 April 2026 by the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a multi-year scheme running to March 2029 and run by your local council. It pulls emergency hardship help and housing support into one system, with four strands: crisis payments, housing payments, resilience services and community coordination.

The most useful part for a sudden shock is the crisis payment, which can help with essentials like food and energy and, importantly, can be available even if you are not on benefits. Housing payments (the old Discretionary Housing Payments) help with rent shortfalls but need you to be getting Housing Benefit or the housing part of Universal Credit. Each council sets its own rules and application process, so search your council's name plus "Crisis and Resilience Fund". Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland keep their own separate crisis and housing schemes.

Charitable grants you may never have heard of

Beyond the state, hundreds of charities and trusts give grants that never have to be repaid, often tied to your job, former job, location, health condition or family situation. People routinely miss these simply because they do not know they exist.

The place to start is the free Turn2us grants search, which matches your circumstances to charitable funds you might qualify for. Turn2us also has a benefits calculator, because the fastest cost-of-living win is often unclaimed benefits rather than a grant. It is worth ten minutes even if you assume nothing applies, and worth pairing with the budget planner so you know the exact gap you are trying to fill.

Help with energy and water bills

If you are behind on energy, your supplier is the first call. Most large suppliers run hardship or trust funds that can clear or reduce arrears, and some (such as British Gas Energy Trust) help non-customers too. You can also ask for a payment plan based on what you can afford, get repayments taken directly from benefits through Fuel Direct, and check the Warm Home Discount for a rebate off your electricity bill.

Water is a separate and often overlooked win. Every water company offers a social tariff that caps bills for low-income households, plus a scheme called WaterSure that limits bills for people on benefits who use a lot of water for medical reasons or a large family. There is no single national threshold, so check your own water company's social tariff directly; the reductions can be substantial and last as long as you qualify.

Interest-free help from the benefits system

If you need a lump sum for an essential and you are on benefits, the system itself lends interest-free. On Universal Credit you can apply for a Budgeting Advance, an interest-free loan for one-off costs like a cooker, essential furniture or help getting into work, repaid out of future payments. On older legacy benefits the equivalent is a Budgeting Loan, also interest-free.

For a genuine emergency, a Universal Credit new-claim advance can bring your first payment forward, and local welfare schemes may offer vouchers or goods rather than cash. These are cheaper than any commercial borrowing because there is no interest at all, so exhaust them before a card or overdraft. If debts are already the real problem, free advice from StepChange or National Debtline, and the debt payoff planner, come first.

Common questions

What replaced the Household Support Fund in 2026?

The Household Support Fund closed on 31 March 2026. In England it was replaced from 1 April 2026 by the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a council-run scheme running to March 2029 that covers crisis payments, housing payments, resilience services and community coordination. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate schemes.

Can I get a cost-of-living grant if I am not on benefits?

Sometimes yes. Crisis payments under the Crisis and Resilience Fund can be available to people facing a sudden financial shock even if they are not on benefits, and many charitable grants (searchable free via Turn2us) are based on your job, location or circumstances rather than benefit status.

How do I get help with energy and water bills?

Ask your energy supplier about its hardship or trust fund and a payment plan, and check the Warm Home Discount. For water, apply for your water company's social tariff, which caps bills for low-income households, plus WaterSure if you are on benefits and use a lot of water for medical or family reasons.

Is a Budgeting Advance an interest-free loan?

Yes. A Universal Credit Budgeting Advance is an interest-free loan for essential one-off costs, repaid from future Universal Credit payments. On legacy benefits the equivalent is an interest-free Budgeting Loan. Both are cheaper than any card or overdraft because no interest is charged.

Guidance and education, not regulated financial advice.