Find out the qualification criteria for five freebies worth hundreds of pounds for DWP Universal Credit recipients

You could be eligible for additional financial assistance if you are claiming benefits like Universal Credit.

There are several programmes in place to assist parents receiving DWP assistance who might be having financial difficulties. According to the Manchester Evening News, they include free nursery so you can keep working, assistance in providing your kids with a balanced diet and free school lunches for your kids.

This is a summary of the programmes that are available and what they can offer. To find out if you qualify for any of these programmes, scroll down.

Free Childcare

You can receive additional assistance with your daycare expenses if you are a parent and you file for Universal Credit. As of right now, you can deduct up to £1,014 for one child and £1,739 for two additional children every month, or 85% of your daycare costs.

Thankfully, regulations changed in June, allowing for the upfront payment of childcare cost help rather than a demand for reimbursement after the money has already been spent.

Free meals costing up to £442 a year

Through the Healthy Start Scheme, parents who have recently given birth or are very close to doing so can receive up to £442 worth of free food annually. A claimant must be more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a kid under four in order to be eligible for the scheme.

In addition, one of the following benefits must be claimed by parents:

• Pension Credit;
• Income Support;
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance;
• Universal Credit with less than £408 of total monthly income
• Employment and Support Allowance based on Income
• Child Tax Credit in addition to a family’s annual income of £16,190 or less

Nonetheless, even if they are not collecting any kind of support, parents under the age of 18 are still eligible to register for the programme. After meeting the program’s requirements, you’ll get a card that you can use at a number of stores and supermarkets. There are some things that you can only purchase with the card, like fruit, vegetables, and milk.

An award of £500

Parents who qualify for the Sure Start Maternity Grant may receive a one-time payment of up to £500. You have to be expecting your first child, or children, if it’s twins or more, in order to be eligible.

There is an 11-week window before the baby’s due date in which to claim the money. If not, you can claim it for up to six months following the baby’s birth.

Household Support Fund support

A government programme called the Household Support Fund gives money to councils so they can assist residents with living expenses. Some councils may decide to offer vouchers as part of the support to assist parents in covering expenses like groceries or energy bills.

Nevertheless, each council is free to choose how to use the fund and who is eligible for assistance. In order to find out if you are eligible for further assistance as a parent receiving benefits, you should speak with your local council and inquire about the Household Support Fund.

Free lunches at school

Benefit-claiming parents can assist their kids in receiving a free lunch at school. Although it is given automatically in the first and second years, a parent must be claiming one of the following at any point after that:

• Income Support;
• Jobseeker’s Allowance based on Income
• Employment and Support Allowance based on Income Pension Credit’s guaranteed component;
• Child Tax Credit;
• Working Tax Credit;
• Universal Credit

The degree of assistance offered under the free school lunch programme may differ based on your local government, school, or community. Enter your postcode into this government website to find out how much support you can get through this plan.