In Suffolk we are administering crisis payments through our well-established Local Welfare Assistance Scheme.
In addition to a Crisis Payment, you may also be entitled to a Heating Oil Payment.
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Beware of scam callers asking you to apply for a Crisis Payment or Loan.
You can call 0345 606 6067 if you have any concerns.
What is the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS)?
The LWAS helps those experiencing financial hardship and require a crisis payment. This could mean due to a financial shock you are struggling to afford things such as food, heating or fuel, or to pay your household bills.
Successful applicants will receive a BACS payment directly into their bank account or a Post Office cash out voucher that can be redeemed in store.
What can it be used for?
There are lots of reasons why you might be in financial hardship and the LWAS is there to help those who are most in need with essential costs, including:
- food costs
- household energy (including oil heating) or water bills
- white goods (to include washing machine, fridge freezer, cooker/oven)
- period and hygiene products
- transport-related costs
The LWAS team will review your reason for applying and may make contact to discuss this in further detail, before making a decision about your application for support.
Who can apply?
To receive financial support from the LWAS you must:
- live in Suffolk
- be able to demonstrate that you are in financial hardship
- be 16-years old or over
- have a combined household income of £30,000 a year or less
- have less than £1,500 available in savings across the household (Please note for those age 66+, the savings limit is £6,000)
- not have received an award from the LWAS since 1 April 2026 (Please note all previous successful awards will be checked by the LWAS team when your application is reviewed and only one award is permitted per household).
The LWAS team will review your application to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and have provided the correct documentation to support your application. They may contact you to request further information if necessary. If your application demonstrates that you do not meet the eligibility criteria, your application will be declined.
Payments are limited to one per household within a 6-month period, although applicants can apply for an additional oil heating payment if appropriate.
Suffolk County Council will reserve the right to change the eligibility criteria as appropriate.
The LWAS scheme is intended as short term, crisis support, therefore it is important that you seek advice from your local Citizens Advice if you are in financial difficulty.
Before you apply
Before beginning your application, please make sure you have all of the required information and documents to hand and ready to upload for you and any other adults in the household. There is not an option to save your application and return later so to save time, please have the correct documents ready. You will not be able to submit your application without the following information:
- Your national insurance number. We cannot process an application without it. If you have lost it, read about how to find it from the Gov.UK website. If you do not have a national insurance number you apply for one online
- Bank statements will be required for all employed adults in the household. These may also be requested later for individuals if we are unable to confirm the receipt of a means-tested benefit.
- Proof of address which must be one of the following accepted documents:
- Council tax or utility bill dated within the last 12 months
- Current full UK driving licence (provisional licence not accepted)
- Benefit, state pension, hospital or GP letter
We will use the information you provide to check your details using council and central government systems to check your identity and eligibility for Local Welfare Assistance.
How long does it take to make and process an application?
The scheme is not intended as emergency support and only one application can be made per household. LWAS is not intended as long-term support.
The quickest way to make an application is via the webform, using your smartphone, tablet or computer. If you have all the information required to make an application the webform will take 15 minutes to complete.
Before you apply you will need all the information listed above to hand, for you and members of your household. There is not an option to save your application and return to it later. You will not be able to submit your application without this information.
If you need help uploading evidence, read how to prepare your documents.
Once your application has been submitted it will be reviewed and assessed by a member of our team. Please provide the correct contact information as our team may need to contact you if they have any queries about your application.
If you are contacted by the LWAS team to provide further information you must provide this within 7 working days otherwise your application will be declined and you will need to re-apply.
If your application is approved, payments can take up to 10 working days to clear in your bank account. The LWAS team receive high numbers of applications and will not be able to respond to any enquires during the application assessment period.
How to apply
The quickest way to make an application is using the webform via your smartphone, tablet or computer.
If you have submitted an application and are awaiting an outcome, please do not submit a new application until your existing one has been determined and communicated back to you. Failure to do this may result in further delays to your application.
