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Who is eligible?

You may be able to get a Budgeting Loan if you or your partner have been claiming or getting payment of one of the following benefits for at least 26 weeks:

and you need help to pay for any of the following:

• Income Support
• Jobseeker's Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance (disabled people section)
• Pension Credit

How much do you get?

You can apply to borrow between £100 and £1,500. The final amount of Budgeting Loan you get will depend on:

The following can't be taken into account:

How it's paid

The loan is usually paid into your bank, building society or other account provider's account that you have nominated.

How do you repay it?

Your repayments, which are worked out at the time your loan is agreed, are usually automatically taken out of your benefit. If you're not getting benefits, another method will be agreed.

You normally have to repay a Budgeting Loan within 104 weeks.

The repayments are interest-free which means you only pay back what you borrowed and no more.

Effect on other benefits

A Budgeting Loan award does not count as income and will not affect other benefit you're getting.

How to apply

You can contact Jobcentre Plus, or your pension centre and ask them to send you claim form SF500.

• Find your nearest pension centre Opens new window
• Contact Jobcentre Plus Opens new window

Download a form to print off and complete

Or you can download the claim form, below, from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website. The form comes with notes to help you fill it in and tell you where to send it.

• Download the Budgeting Loan claim form (PDF document, 79K) Opens new window
• Help with PDF files

What to do if you are unhappy with the decision on your application

If you're unhappy with a Budgeting Loan decision, you have the right to ask for a review. You must write to Jobcentre Plus within 28 days of the decision explaining why you think the decision was wrong and ask for it to be reviewed.  

If, after that review, you still think the decision was wrong, you can ask for a further review by a Social Fund Inspector. The Inspectors are independent from the Department for Work and Pensions. The review process is quick and simple, and should take no longer than 12 days.

You can download the leaflet and claim form, 'How to ask for an independent review' from the Independent Review Service website.

• Download: 'How to ask for an independent review' (PDF document, 78K) Opens new window
• Help with PDF files

More useful links

• On a low income benefits information - financial help
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Know your financial rights
• Home Heat Helpline: 0800 33 66 999 Opens new window
• Coping with County Court Claims and County Court Judgments (CCJs)
• Grants and bursaries for adult learners (education and learning section)