Financial Support
There are different benefits, grants and other financial help available for people with the condition/s and those who care for them.
Below is some information on these with links to various websites for more in-depth information and ways to claim.
For more information, any questions or advice please go to our forum.
Additional Help
Money Helper
MoneyHelper is here to make your money choices clearer. Cut through the complexity, explain what you need to do and how you can do it. Free, impartial guidance that’s backed by government, and to recommend further, trusted support if you need it.
Disability Rights UK
Disability Rights UK is the UK’s leading organisation led by, run by, and working for disabled people. They have various information/guides on benefits and other financial help plus more.
Turn2us
Turn2us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially. Use our free Benefits Calculator and Grants Search to find out what help you can get.
Benefits
Vehicles & Transport
Home & Housing
Students
Whether you can work or not, you could be entitled to one or more benefits. Below is listed the most common benefits for those with ME/CFS and/or Fibro or a Carer could claim. There are more benefits available which you could be entitled to.
Check out the UK government website for more information on various benefits.
Health & Disability Benefits
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help with extra living costs if you have both:
- A long-term physical or mental health condition or disability
- Difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition
You can get PIP even if you’re working, have savings or are getting most other benefits.
For more information click here.
At Benefits and Work there is an online test you can take, for free, to see what you could score for the daily living and mobility components of PIP. There is also some free downloadable guides at Disability Rights UK.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You can apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work.
ESA gives you:
- Money to help with living costs if you’re unable to work
- Support to get back into work if you’re able to
You can apply if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed.
For more information click here.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – Children Only
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children may help with the extra costs of looking after a child who:
To claim you’ll need to be :
- Is under 16
- Has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability
For more information click here.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
You can get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.
You cannot get less than the statutory amount. You can get more if your company has a sick pay scheme (or ‘occupational scheme’) – check your employment contract.
There are different sick pay rules for agricultural workers.
For more information click here.
Low Income Benefits
Universal Credit
You may be able to get Universal Credit if you’re on a low income or need help with your living costs. You could be:
- Out of work
- Working (including self-employed or part time)
- Unable to work, for example because of a health condition
To claim you must be 18 or over (thought there are some exceptions if you’re 16 to 17), be under state pension age and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments.
For more information click here.
Council Tax Reduction
You could be eligible if you’re on a low income or claim benefits. Your bill could be reduced by up to 100%.
You can apply if you own your home, rent, are unemployed or working.
What you get depends on:
- Where you live – each council runs its own scheme
- Your circumstances (for example income, number of children, benefits, residency status)
- Your household income – this includes savings, pensions and your partner’s income
- If your children live with you/other adults live with you
For more information click here.
State Pension Age
Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you.
It’s paid at 2 different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability.
To claim you’ll need to be :
- Physically or mentally disabled
- State Pension age or older
It does not cover mobility needs and you do not have to have someone caring for you in order to claim.
For more information click here.
Pension Credit
Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.
You might get extra help if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person.
Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension.
You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home.
For more information click here.
Carers
Carers Allowance
You could get carer’s allowance if you care for someone at least 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits.
You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for. You do not get paid extra if you care for more than one person.
If someone else also cares for the same person as you, only one of you can claim Carer’s Allowance.
For more information click here.
Carers Credit
You could get Carer’s Credit if you’re caring for someone for at least 20 hours a week.
Carer’s Credit is a National Insurance credit that helps with gaps in your National Insurance record. Your State Pension is based on your National Insurance record.
Your income, savings or investments will not affect eligibility for Carer’s Credit.
For more information click here.
There are various financial support whether you drive yourself, need a special vehicle so a carer can drive you to places or if you use public transport.
For more information and help when it comes to vehicles and transport, check out Scope’s advice and support page.
Exemption from Paying Vehicle Tax
You can apply for exemption from paying vehicle tax if you get the:
- Higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Enhanced rate mobility component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
- Higher rate mobility component of Child Disability Payment
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
The vehicle must be registered in the disabled person’s name or their nominated driver’s name.
It must only be used for the disabled person’s personal needs. It cannot be used by the nominated driver for their own personal use.
For more information click here.
Blue Badge
You can apply for yourself, someone else or an organisation. A Blue Badge costs up to £10 in England and usually lasts up to 3 years.
You must reapply for a Blue Badge before your current one expires.
You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are aged 3 or over and at least one of the following applies:
- You receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- You receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the ‘moving around’ activity of the mobility component)
- You are registered blind (severely sight impaired)
- You receive a War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- You have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking
- You receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the ‘planning and following journeys’ activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress
You may be eligible for a badge if one or more of the following applies:
- You cannot walk at all
- You cannot walk without help from someone else or using mobility aids
- You find walking very difficult due to pain, breathlessness or the time it takes
- Walking is dangerous to your health and safety
- You have a life limiting illness, which means you cannot walk or find walking very difficult and have a SR1 form
- You have a severe disability in both arms and drive regularly, but cannot operate pay-and-display parking machines
- You have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child always needs to be accompanied by bulky medical equipment
- You have a child under the age of 3 with a medical condition that means the child must always be kept near a vehicle in case they need emergency medical treatment
- You are constantly a significant risk to yourself or others near vehicles, in traffic or car parks
- You struggle severely to plan or follow a journey
- You find it difficult or impossible to control your actions and lack awareness of the impact you could have on others
- You regularly have intense and overwhelming responses to situations causing temporary loss of behavioural control
- You frequently become extremely anxious or fearful of public/open spaces
Your local council will decide if you are eligible for a badge. They cannot start the assessment process until they have all the necessary evidence. It may take 12 weeks or longer to assess your application. If they decide that you are not eligible and you think that they did not take account of all the facts, you can ask them to consider your application again.
For more information click here.
Disabled Persons Bus Pass
You’ll be able to get a bus pass if:
- You’re blind or partially sighted, deaf or unable to speak
- You can’t walk very far because of a disability, illness or injury
- You don’t have arms or can’t use your arms
- You have a severe learning disability
- You’ve been refused a driving licence because of your health (but not because of problems with drugs or alcohol)
For more information click here.
Disabled Persons Railcard
If you are disabled or have a progressive medical condition you are eligible for the Disabled Persons Railcard if you:
- Receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
- Receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Child Disability Payment (CDP) at either:
The higher or lower rate for the mobility component, or
The higher or middle rate for the care component - Have a visual and/or hearing impairment
- Have epilepsy
- Receive Attendance Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP)
- Receive War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement
- Receive War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability
- Buy or lease a vehicle through the Motability Scheme
For more information click here.
Motability Scheme
Motability can help you with getting a car, a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), a scooter or a powered wheelchair.
You need to receive one of these qualifying mobility allowances, with at least 12 months left :
- Higher rate mobility part of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Higher rate mobility part of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
Not sure if you’re eligible for the Scheme? Click here.
For more information go to the Motability website.
You can get financial help for paying your bills, home adaptations, food and more. Whether this be from your local council or another source.
Free Food/Food Banks
While some food banks need a referral, others do not and there are places you can get free or cheap food. If you need help getting food home you can ask the place/food banks about deliveries.
For more information and help when it comes to food check out Scope’s advice and support page.
Trussell Trust Food Banks – Find Your Nearest (need a referral)
Can provide an emergency food parcel containing three days’ nutritionally balanced food. Parcels may also include other essentials like toiletries. In order to get help you will need to be referred with a food voucher. The voucher is then exchanged at the food bank for a food parcel.
Organisations such as housing associations, GPs and advice charities can refer you for a food voucher. If you’re not sure where to go, contact your local food bank.
Community Fridges – Find Your Nearest
Community Fridges are communal places where surplus food is shared between people in a community by local businesses and individuals.
The Bread and Butter Thing – Find Your Nearest
Our affordable food club offers low cost weekly shopping bags made up of fruit and veg, fridge favourites and cupboard staples from high street supermarkets, food manufacturers and farmers.
We never know what we’re going to get from day to day, which means each week your bag of food will be different. But it is always quality, fresh produce. You will probably need to top up from the shops as well, but our food will go a long way to helping you feed your family affordably.
Food Cycle – Find Your Nearest
FoodCycle isn’t a food bank. Food banks will provide items to be taken home to cook. FoodCycle runs Community Meals, which means we invite people to come and sit with us, around a table and enjoy a hot, nutritious meal.
Everyone is welcome at FoodCycle. Whatever your reason for needing a meal, you are welcome to join us. Some people come for the food. Some people come for the company. No matter your background, you’ll be greeted warmly by our friendly volunteers.
Bills
There are many ways to save money with your bills and/or get additional help. Due to the massive amount of information online about this subject, below is various websites that can help you. If you know of any others then please contact us to let us know so we can add it to the list.
Help For Households – Gov.uk
See what support is available to help with the cost of living and save money with our energy saving tips
Help From Your Energy Supplier – Scope
Many gas and electric suppliers can support you if you cannot afford your gas and electric bill or owe them money.
Discount on Water Bills
If anyone in your household uses lots of water due to a medical condition, has trouble paying bills, has debt and/or low income you could get help.
Council Help
If you’ve been assessed by your local council as needing care and support services, you can get:
- Direct payments – allowing you to buy in and arrange help yourself instead of getting it directly from social services (sometimes called personal budgets)
- Disabled Facilities Grants – which is money towards the costs of home adaptations to enable you to continue living there
Direct Payments Links
Rotherham Council
Barnsley Council
Sheffield Council
Doncaster Council
Disabled Facilities Grants Links
Rotherham Council
Barnsley Council
Sheffield Council
Doncaster Council
Students in higher education could receive help if you are disabled or become ill/disabled and have to temporarily stop your studies.
Student loans can help with course fees and living costs while you study.
You can apply for funding to cover extra costs if you are disabled. This includes Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and bursaries from universities or charitable trusts. Unlike student loans, you do not have to pay these back.
You may still qualify for some disability benefits while you study.
Due to the amount of information, here are two links with various information that could help you.