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North Lincolnshire CouncilCouncil Tax, benefits and housingTest and Trace support payment

Test and Trace support payment

To follow any changes to this service, visit the Council Service Updates page.

Financial support available for people told to self-isolate

People on low-incomes who have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test & Trace, or if you’re the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate, you  can now apply to North Lincolnshire Council for £500.

If you’re eligible for either the Test and Trace Support Payment or a discretionary payment, you’ll receive the £500 payment in addition to any benefits and Statutory Sick Pay that you receive currently.

Please read the following information, before making your application:

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for the Test and Trace Support Payment, you must meet all the following criteria:

  • have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or via the NHS COVID-19 App, either because you’ve tested positive for coronavirus or you have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive or you’re the parent or guardian of a child in your household who is self-isolating, and you need to take time off work to care for them
  • have responded to messages received from NHS Test and Trace (which will have been received via a combination of email, text, letter or phone call) in which you have provided your contact details and where you have tested positive, the detail of your contacts
  • be employed or self-employed
  • not on furlough in the week before you were asked to self-isolate
  • be unable to work from home and will lose income as a result
  • be currently receiving, or are the partner of someone in the same household who is receiving, any of the following benefits –
    • Universal Credit
    • Working Tax Credit
    • Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
    • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
    • Income Support
    • Housing Benefit
    • Pension Credit.

If you are currently not receiving a benefit but meet the other criteria, are on a low income and will face financial hardship as a result of having to self isolate, please complete the form and we will consider your application for payment from our discretionary fund. Please note: in relation to the discretionary fund you must have a weekly income of no more than £375 before deductions or a monthly income of no more than £1612.52 before deductions.

Parents and guardians of children who have been told to self isolate

If you’re not legally required to self-isolate, but you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate, you could be eligible for a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment or discretionary payment if all the following apply:

  • you’re the parent or guardian of a child in your household who is self-isolating, and you need to take time off work to care for them
  • your child is aged 15 or under, or aged 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, normally attends an education or childcare setting, and has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their education or childcare setting
  • you’re unable to work from home and will lose income because you have to care for your child while they are self-isolating
  • you meet all the other eligibility criteria for a Test and Trace Support Payment or discretionary payment.

Applying through the NHS Covid-19 App

You can apply for the NHS Test & Trace Support Payment via the NHS Covid-19 app.

Here’s a few things you need to know:

How does the app work?

You will be able to get the 8-digit NHS Test & Trace ID by following the instructions on the app. Once you have this, you will then be able to complete the application form for the £500 support payment.

Covid-19 App

You need to be on version 4.0 (or higher) of the app to pick up the new features. To find out what version you are on, go to the NHS Covid- 19 app, click on the ‘About this App’ button and scroll down until you see ‘Software Information. If you are not on the latest version, you can update it by going to your app store, search for the NHS Covid-19 app and select update.

Deadline for contacting NHS Test &Trace service via the App

If you have been notified by the Covid-19 app that you have to self-isolate, you must engage with the main NHS Test & Trace service whilst you are still in your isolation period. You can still make a claim with us for the £500 support payment. It must be made within 42 days from the first day of isolation but you must have contacted the NHS Test & Trace and got your 8-digit Test and Trace ID within your self-isolation period.

Important documents you will need for your application:

For the application, you will need to provide the following:

  • an NHS Test and Trace Account ID, sometimes referred to as a CTAS number. If you test positive for COVID-19, or are told to self-isolate by contact tracers, you will be provided with an NHS Test and Trace Account ID
  • proof that you receive of one of the qualifying benefits
  • a bank statement
  • proof of employment or, if you’re self-employed, evidence of self-assessment returns, trading income and proof that your business delivers services that cannot be undertaken without social contact.

If you’re applying because you’re a parent or guardian who needs to care for a child who is self-isolating, you will also need to provide your child’s NHS Test and Trace Account ID or a communication from their education or childcare setting telling them to self-isolate.

How easy it to use the phone app to get your 8-digit Test & Trace?

What this video, it shows you what you will need to do:

 

Please note – The Test and Trace payment is taxable if you are a taxpayer but it is not subject to National Insurance Contributions. HMRC will automatically collect tax from your pay through your tax code, or self-employed recipients should report the payment on their 20/21 Self Assessment tax return.

Test and Trace ID number: We cannot make a support payment unless you have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace, been told to self-isolate and have been given a valid Test and Trace ID. All ID numbers are verified via the NHS Test and Trace eligibility checker. When you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace you must ask them for this information or we will not be able to verify that you are self-isolating and you will not receive payment. From 10 December, users who are identified as contacts through the NHS COVID-19 app will be able to apply for the Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme (TTPS) through the app.

Apply for Test and Trace support payment

If you have a problem completing the application then call 01724 297000.

You must submit supporting evidence to confirm your eligibility:

  • your NHS Test and Trace (this will include a Unique ID number – 8 digits) asking  you to self-isolate
  • evidence of your employment and that you have reduced income as a result of self-isolation
  • that you are unable to work from home
  • if you are self-employed, proof of your trading income and that your business delivers services which cannot be undertaken without social contact
  • a copy of your latest bank statement, which shows your name, address, bank sort code and account number
  • if you are applying as the parent or guardian of a child/young person who has been told self-isolate, the letter from your child’s education or care setting advising them to self-isolate.

If your application is successful, you will be paid by BACS directly into your bank account. If you are overdrawn, you can use the first right of appropriation on money being paid into your account. You should contact your bank about how you do this.

Contact us

Customer Contact Centre

01724 297000