If you have been told by the NHS to self-isolate because you have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), or you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive and your income has reduced because you are unable to work from home, you may be entitled to some financial support during your self-isolation period.
People who are eligible will receive a payment of £500, which will be paid via BACS directly into their bank account. This payment will be subject to Income Tax and the Council will be required to inform Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of any payments made.
If you are overdrawn and you do not want your bank to use the £500 payment to pay your overdraft, you could request a first right of appropriation. Please contact your bank to find out how to do this.
People who live in Coventry who have received notification from NHS Test and Trace to self-isolate will be entitled to a self-isolation payment providing they:
You will not be eligible for the scheme if you:
If you are not eligible for payment but need help, find out about support with finances, benefits, employment and skills.
From 10 December 2020 notifications from the NHS COVID-19 App will be considered for Test and Trace support payments.
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 coronavirus, you will need to follow some steps to request your Account ID. This is because the app is anonymous, so you need to register with NHS Test and Trace by following a link in the app. You must do this while you are in your self-isolation period. You cannot request your Account ID after you’ve finished self-isolating.
To start the process, select ‘Financial support’. This button appears on the home screen of the app when you’ve been told to self-isolate because you’ve been in close contact with someone who has coronavirus.
You’ll be taken to a website which will ask you for some information to check whether you could be eligible. None of the information you provide will be passed back to the NHS COVID-19 App. The app is designed to protect your privacy and does not know who or where you are.
If your answers show that you may be eligible for the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment, there are 4 steps to apply for the payment.
You will need the following information to complete the application:
If you receive a self-isolation payment you must self-isolate as requested by NHS Test and Trace.
Please visit the NHS website for more details of the NHS Test and Trace self-isolation requirements.
The government have allocated Local Authorities a set amount of funding for those who meet the main scheme criteria but who are not in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
There is limited funding for the discretionary scheme, so awards will only be considered for those who are on a low income, are suffering financial hardship and are unable to pay their usual household bills because they have lost 2 weeks income as a result of self-isolating.
If your annual income is £18,480 gross or below and you can demonstrate that you are unable to pay your household bills, you can apply.
There is limited funding from the Government for the discretionary scheme. When the funding is spent, we will no longer be able to make awards, therefore we will monitor the scheme and may change the local criteria to ensure those in most need receive help.
If you need help with food because you are self-isolating, there is help available.
Coventry City Council will not tolerate deliberate manipulation and fraud. This includes, but is not limited to, making false applications for a payment to which you are not entitled, making duplicate applications and failure to self-isolate which puts others at risk. If false or misleading information is provided, we reserve the right to take further action against you including but not limited to the recovery of monies paid to you and / or legal proceedings. We will use the information provided in this form to prevent and detect fraud, including carrying out verification checks and will share information with other government and third-party agencies for this purpose.
Any payments made in error will also be subject to recovery.
The Government is supporting Local Councils to make the necessary checks to ensure payments can be verified and have been made correctly.
There is no right of appeal against any decision not to award a payment, either for the main Test and Trace Support Payment or for applications to receive a discretionary payment. People who are turned down will not be eligible because they do not meet the criteria.
However, where possible, we will work with you to make sure that you have an opportunity to provide the necessary evidence to support a successful application.
The information you submit here will be processed by Coventry Council. We need your consent so that we can access your records in the NHS Test and Trace system to confirm that you are eligible for the Self-Isolation Payment Scheme.
You can find more information on this via the NHS Test and Trace Privacy notice.
We will carry out checks with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), for verification purposes, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), for tax and national insurance purposes, and with your employer.
We will provide information to HMRC about any payments we make because Self-Isolation Payments are subject to Income Tax. If you are self-employed, you will need to declare the payment on your self-assessment tax return.
All information is processed in accordance with the Council’s data protection policy.
If you wish to request any changes to the way your data is used for the purposes of processing this application, including the withdrawal of consent, you can exercise your rights under the GDPR in writing to the Council’s Data Protection Officer by contacting [email protected].
If you do withdraw your consent, we will not be able to continue payments to you. Your consent is necessary to establish your eligibility and to authorise any payments made.
In applying, you must confirm that you have read, understood and consented to your data being processed in this way for the purposes of assessing your eligibility for a Self-Isolation Payment.
Apply for a COVID-19 Test and Trace support payment online
You will be able to upload evidence as part of your application. If you do not have original documents, you can send photocopies or capture the evidence in a photo to upload. If you are unable to upload you can email your evidence to [email protected].
You will need to quote your application reference number in the subject field. Please also include the applicant’s full name and address in the body of the email.
If you are unable to apply online as you do not have access to a computer, you can make a telephone application by telephoning 08085 834333. You will need to have the information and documents listed above with you when you make the call. The officer helping you will give you an application reference number, which you must include with any correspondence, so we are able to link this information to your claim. If you need to post evidence to us, please use this address:
Coventry City Council
Benefits Service
Test and Trace Support Payments
PO Box 15
Council House
Coventry City Council
CV1 5RR
Once we have verified the information that has been provided to support your application, we will email you to let you know the outcome. If your claim is successful, payment will be via BACS into your bank account. These payments normally take 3 working days to appear in your account.
Test and Trace Support Payment Discretionary Scheme - October 2020
Please avoid contacting the team to obtain an update on your application for a Test and Trace Support Payment, please be advised we have had a significant increase in applications and emails during the Christmas period and to date.
Email queries will cause delays with reviewing support payment claims.
To enable officers to get through the outstanding applications and to get payments out as soon as possible, we will not be replying to emails from customers who are asking when their claim will be assessed.
As a guide, it may take up to 10 working days for your claim to be reviewed and considered. If a claim is successful and agreed BACS payments can take up to 3-5 working days.
Once your application is allocated to an officer you will be contacted via email or by telephone for further information if needed, or you will receive a letter informing you of the outcome of your claim.
Please continue to use [email protected] to send in additional evidence to support your claim, or to respond to further information that has been requested.
Your patience is appreciated at this busy time.
