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Martin Lewis reminds parents they can claim £500 if their children are sent home from school to self-isolate
If your child has had to isolate due to Covid, you could be owed a hefty sum of money
Everyone’s favourite Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has reminded parents that if their child is sent home from school due to Covid-19, they could claim £500 in compensation.
Lewis tweeted yesterday to explain that those from low-income households could receive the payment if they have to care for children sent home to isolate.
He wrote: “Spread word. Many children are being sent home by school due to someone in class / year group bubble testing positive for Covid.
“If so, and you then can’t work due to needing to be home with them, this (not just NHS test & trace) can trigger the £500 payment for those on low incomes.”
The money is only available for those who don’t work from home and will lose income as a result of having to care for their child, who must be under the age of fifteen.
If you receive Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income-based employment and Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit or Pension Credit, you will still be eligible for the payment.
If you’re not on any of those schemes, you could still get the money, but it’s up to your local council to decide, and usually reserved for those on a low income or suffering financial hardship as a result of not being able to work.
Though it is worth noting that if you take the ten days to quarantine with your child without being told to by the school or NHS Test and Trace, then you won’t be eligible to receive the funds.
The money is being distributed by local councils, so that’s who you’ll need to call or get in contact with to get your £500.
You can use the council website checker to find out the contact details of yours.