Test and trace support payments

You should receive your payment within three working days after your information has been verified and your application approved. You should receive confirmation once your payment has been issued.

Payments may be delayed if you do not provide details and evidence as requested when submitting your application.

In exceptional circumstances we can make a discretionary £500 payment to residents who:

• are not currently receiving one of the qualifying benefits, but meet all the other qualifying criteria for test and trace support payments, and
• are facing serious financial hardship as a consequence of self-isolating

You can apply through the same application form.

Test and trace support payments came into effect on 28 September 2020. If you were contacted by Test and Trace on or since the 28 September, and meet the other qualifying criteria, you may be eligible for a backdated claim.

Yes, provided you meet the eligibility criteria on each separate occasion and the self-isolation periods for which you’re claiming don’t overlap.

If the NHS COVID-19 App has told you to self-isolate because you’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, you can apply for a test and trace support payment. Because the app is anonymous, before you apply you will need to follow a few steps to register with NHS Test and Trace and request an ID number.

You must do this while you are in your self-isolation period. You cannot request a test and trace ID number after you’ve finished self-isolating.

To start the process, select the ‘financial support’ button that appears on the home screen of the app when you’ve been told to self-isolate.

You’ll be taken to a website which will ask you for some information to check whether you could be eligible. None of the information you provide will be passed back to the NHS COVID-19 App. The app is designed to protect your privacy and does not know who or where you are. If your answers show that you may be eligible for the test and trace support payment, there are four steps to follow:

1. Confirm who you are with NHS login – you need to log in or register with NHS login so we can check who you are.
2. Enter your personal details – you’ll be asked to enter your name so that NHS Test and Trace can carry out some checks. None of your personal details will be given to the app.
3. Register with NHS Test and Trace – you’ll get an email and text message from NHS Test and Trace within one hour if you register between 7.30 am to 8.30 pm.
4. Apply for a test and trace support payment – complete the form on our website.

No. Banks are not allowed to use this payment or any other benefit to repay an overdraft. If you are overdrawn you can contact your bank to exercise your first right of appropriation and ensure the £500 payment is not used to pay the overdraft.

Explain to your bank that you are expecting a £500 test and trace support payment and explain how you would like to spend the money. You can use a template letter created by StepChange Debt Charity.

Test and trace support payments do not count as income for benefit purposes.

Test and trace support payments will be subject to income tax, but not National Insurance contributions. HM Revenues & Customs will be notified of all test and trace support payments so they can make the necessary income tax adjustments in due course.

You can get the payment if you have:

• a bank account
• a building society account
• a post office account

You may face prosecution if you have manipulated or falsified your position in order to obtain these payments, including failure to self-isolate as requested by NHS Test and Trace and which puts others at risk.

Any payment made as a result of fraud may be subject to recovery action, as may any payment made in error. The government is supporting local councils to make the necessary checks to ensure payments can be verified and have been made correctly.

People in the same household can make individual applications to receive the test and trace support payment, if they each meet the eligibility criteria. This application is for one person only. Any further applications from others in the same household must be made by each individual.

You can apply on behalf of someone else. However, the £500 must be paid into a bank account in the name of the applicant.

To qualify for the payment you must be able to provide your 8 digit test and trace ID number to show that you have been formally asked to self-isolate. These £500 payments are designed to help everyone comply with the self-isolation regulations which state that anyone who does not self-isolate following a positive coronavirus test or after being told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace could face prosecution.

It is vital that you get tested if you have symptoms of coronavirus and that those who have tested positive share accurate information about their recent contacts with NHS Test and Trace.

Test and trace support payments do not cover people who are self-isolating after returning to the UK from abroad, unless they have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.

Students who meet the qualifying criteria are eligible for the payment. To qualify you must be receiving benefits, be in work but unable to work from home and losing income as a result of self-isolation.

There is also support available to students who are self-isolating through the University of Portsmouth.

People who have been furloughed can claim the payment, provided they meet all the eligibility criteria.

To qualify for a test and trace support payment, you must have been asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace either because you’ve tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

If you are facing financial difficulties while you self-isolate and wait for test results, you can find out more about other financial support available at the bottom of this page and on our  work and money – coronavirus information page.

If your child has been told to self-isolate because they have tested positive for coronavirus you will receive your own instruction from NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate if you are a close contact. If you have personally been told to self-isolate and you also meet the other qualifying criteria you can apply. The scheme does not cover parents who have not themselves been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.

In exceptional circumstances we can make a discretionary £500 payment to residents who are not currently receiving one of the qualifying benefits, but meet all the other qualifying criteria for test and trace support payments, and are facing serious financial hardship as a consequence of self-isolating. You can apply through the same application form.

You can apply for the payment on top of statutory sick pay, if you meet all the eligibility criteria.

The scheme will initially last until 31 January 2021. The government will review it during this period and decide whether the scheme should be continued beyond that date.