Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Benefits
This page provides information if you are claiming benefits or considering claiming benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This information is for Northern Ireland only, if you live in England, Scotland or Wales visit the GOV.UK website.
Support for heating
You may be able to get other help to heat your home. For further information see:
If you find that you are not eligible for any of the payments above, you may wish to apply for Discretionary Support.
Access to Work
Face to face appointments for Access to Work (NI) have been temporarily suspended.
Payments to participants on the programme will continue to be processed by a limited number of available staff and contingencies have been put in place to make sure this continues.
The programme works with a number of key stakeholders who provide support to Access to Work (NI) participants and this may change the level of support available to all participants due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Appointments at Jobs and Benefits offices
All Jobs and Benefits offices are now open for business on an appointment basis. Only those with a pre-booked appointment will be admitted to the office. You will be asked to observe social distancing, to use hand sanitiser and to wear a face covering.
If you are unable to use our telephone or digital services we can arrange an urgent appointment in your local Jobs and Benefits office. To arrange an appointment contact the Universal Credit Service Centre. You should tell us when booking your appointment if you need interpreting support.
Your work coach will contact you by telephone to discuss what activities you can do to help you move into employment and to offer support.
You will be given notice of your telephone appointment on your Universal Credit journal. It is important that we have this conversation with you as part of your Universal Credit claim process.
Benefit payments
If you're already receiving benefits, you will continue to receive payments. Payments will still be processed as usual.
Employment and Support Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) offers support and financial help so you can do suitable work if you are able to. Find out more about how to apply.
There is temporary removal of the seven waiting days if you are making a New Style ESA claim. If you need to self isolate you will be treated as being ill and do not need to go to a GP.
All Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) appointments at assessment centres have been postponed.
You can apply for ESA online, by telephone, textphone or posting a claim form.
Extra financial support
Financial support may be available if you are in a financial crisis or need support including:
- Discretionary Support
- Discretionary Support self-isolation grant
- Universal Credit Contingency Fund payment
- Short-term Benefit Advances
- Social Fund Sure Start Maternity Grants
- Social Fund Budgeting Loans
To help support people during the COVID-19 pandemic a non-repayable Discretionary Support self-isolation grant payment has been put in place to help with short-term living expenses where a person, or a member of their immediate family, has been infected by COVID-19 or told to self-isolate.
If you're eligible to receive an award, it will be calculated based on your circumstances.
If you're in financial need, help with short term living expenses may be available through Discretionary Support or the Universal Credit Contingency Fund grant or the Discretionary Support self-isolation grant.
If you need help with short term living expenses from any one of these three provisions you should complete the Discretionary Support form.
If you use this form you do not need to ring the Discretionary Support Freephone line, someone will contact you.
Housing support
Measures have been put in place to support social and private renters as well as those experiencing homelessness.
An agreement is in place with all social housing landlords (Housing Executive and Housing Associations) that any social housing tenant facing difficulties paying rent during the Covid-19 pandemic will not be evicted.
If you're living in the private rented sector and are receiving Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, and the amount you're receiving is not enough to cover your housing costs, you may be able to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment
If you're a student and suffering financial hardship due to rental payments you can now apply for Discretionary Support. You are also encouraged to contact your landlord or letting agent to discuss flexibility in terms of payments.
More information can be found on the Department for Communities website.
How you will be contacted
If you're claiming benefits a work coach will communicate with you via your online journal, or by phone and will reschedule appointments for a later date.
If you're self-employed
If you’re self-employed you can apply online for Universal Credit or for New Style Employment and Support Allowance .
A check will be undertaken to see if you are gainfully self-employed. If so, your payment will be calculated using the Minimum Income Floor.
Discretion will be used when applying the Minimum Income Floor for self-employed people who continue to be impacted by the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic.
You will not need to go to the Jobs and Benefits office to show gainful self-employment.
If you're employed
If you have to stay at home because of coronavirus and you need a note for your employer, contact NHS 111 Online
If you have to stay at home but feel well enough to work, ask your employer if you can work from home. If you can work from home, you will not need an isolation note. You can also use this service for someone else.
If you're in work and not claiming benefits, work on a short term contract or a zero hours contract, you may be entitled to sick pay.
If you’ve been ill from coronavirus (COVID-19) since 13 March 2020 and you’re eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, you will get a backdated payment.
If you are not eligible to receive sick pay you can apply for Universal Credit and/ or New Style Employment & Support Allowance.
You do not need to go into a Jobs and Benefits office to apply or get a payment, you can apply online and/ or by telephone.
Jobseekers' Allowance
If you are due to sign-on you are excused from signing.
Since 30 March 2020 until further notice, attendance at Jobs and Benefits offices for the purposes of signing for benefits has been excused.
Staff in the Jobs and Benefits offices will be making calls to Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients to assist and advise on available employment services and make sure that claimants have the support they need.
New style Job Seekers' Allowance
Universal Credit replaced Jobseeker’s Allowance. However if you have been credited with enough National Insurance contributions, you may be entitled to 'New Style' Jobseeker’s Allowance. You can apply online.
Make the Call
Post Office Card Accounts
Support is in place to assist Post Office card account customers who are unable to access their benefit or pension payments during the Coronavirus pandemic.
You should contact Make the Call by phoning 0800 232 1271 or email makethecall@dfcni.gov.uk.
All routine appointments for the Make the Call Service, compliance and benefit review interviews have stopped.
Medical assessments
Work Capability Assessments for people making new claims to Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance had been paused due to the COVID-19 crisis. These assessments will take place by paper based review or by telephone assessment until face-to-face assessments can be resumed.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
If you cannot work while you’re self-isolating because of coronavirus (COVID-19), you could get SSP for every day you’re in isolation, from day one.
You must self-isolate for at least four days to be eligible.
Check you’re eligible for SSP.
Tax Credits
If you currently receive Working Tax Credits, read the information on Gov.uk before making a claim to Universal Credit
If you already receive Tax Credits and have a drop in your income or are ill because of COVID19 you may be able to continue to claim Tax Credits for a period of time.
For further information refer to Working Tax Credit or call the helpline below.
If you lose your job, your Tax Credit payments will stop and you will need to make a claim for Universal Credit. You can’t receive Universal Credit and Tax Credits at the same time.
Universal Credit
New claims to Universal Credit can be made online with additional telephone support available via the Universal Credit Service Centre if you need help with a new claim.
You can use your Government Gateway account to confirm your identity, helping to speed up your claim. You can do this if you’ve used the Government Gateway within the past 12 months to access your Personal Tax Accounts, check your tax credits or to send a personal tax return.
Help and support
For independent help and advice contact: