Who can apply

You might be able to get a payment of £500 if you’ve been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, or you’re the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate.

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.

 

If you’ve been told to self-isolate

If you’ve been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace because you’ve tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) or been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, you’re legally required to do so.

If the NHS COVID-19 app sends you a notification to self-isolate because you’re a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, and you apply for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, you will also be legally required to self-isolate.

To support you during self-isolation, you could be eligible for a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment if you live in England and meet all the following criteria:

• you’ve been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app, either because you’ve tested positive for COVID-19 or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
• you’ve responded to messages from NHS Test and Trace and have provided any legally required information
• you’re employed or self-employed
• you’re unable to work from home and will lose income as a result of self-isolating
• you’re currently receiving or are the partner of someone in the same household who is receiving, at least one 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’re not on one of these benefits, you could be eligible for a £500 discretionary payment if all the following apply:

• you meet all the other criteria listed above
• you’re on a low income
• you will face financial hardship as a result of self-isolating

If you’re the the parent or guardian of a child who’s 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

Find out more about:

• other COVID-19 support available
• getting help from your local council

 

How to apply

In England, the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is administered by unitary authorities and district councils.

If you think you meet the eligibility criteria for either the Test and Trace Support Payment or a discretionary payment, you can apply through your local council. You can claim up to 42 days after the first day of your self-isolation period.

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.

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 COVID-19, you will need to follow some additional steps to request your NHS Test and Trace Account ID.

 

Tax and the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme

Payments made under the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme are subject to income tax, if you’re a taxpayer, but they are not subject to National Insurance contributions. If you’re employed, HMRC will automatically recover the tax from your pay with a change to your tax code.

Self-employed recipients will need to report the payment on their 2020 to 2021 Self Assessment tax return.