Household Support Fund

What you need to know

The Household Support Fund is currently paused whilst we process applications.

The Household Support Fund helps ease financial pressure for all borough residents struggling with the cost of living. It offers help with food, energy bills and other essential household items. The Department for Work and Pensions fund the scheme.

The scheme will run until March 2025 or earlier if all funds have been allocated.

Household Support Fund Update March 2025

We expect to receive a lot of applications. Timescales for processing applications will vary.

When applying, you must attach a bank statement with your full name, bank account number, sort code and address. If you do not, your application will be put on hold and you may not receive an award.

Submission of your application does not mean your application is approved. We'll notify you by email if your application has been successful.

Information about the scheme:

£250 is the most that can be awarded
you can only submit one application per household
applications can be made on behalf of someone else
all applications will be treated fairly and consistently

It's not an emergency fund. We cannot process applications urgently.

If you need urgent support visit our cost of living pages to find out about other help available.

Find out more about the national scheme (opens new window)

Who can apply?

Applicants must:

be over the age of 16
live in the borough of Guildford
provide further evidence (if requested)

Important information

If your application has been declined because:

it's been submitted with incorrect information
it's missing evidence

You must complete the form again.

All applications are reviewed in the date order they are received. Your new application will be reviewed using the new date. This ensures the process is fair. This may mean that all available funds are allocated before we can respond to your resubmission. Read the application form carefully to ensure you have included all necessary information.