Test and Trace Support payment
If you have received a notification to self-isolate from NHS Test and Trace on or after 28 September 2020 you may be eligible for a test and trace support payment of £500.
You can apply for this payment if you can demonstrate that all of the following criteria apply to you:
- I have received an NHS Test and Trace notification on or after Monday 28 September 2020 either because I have tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
- I have responded to messages received from NHS Test and Trace (which will have been received via a combination of email, text, letter or phone call) in which I have provided my contact details and where I have tested positive the details of my contacts.
- I have applied within 28 days from my first day of my self-isolation period.
- I am currently employed or self-employed.
- I am unable to work from home.
- I will lose income during the period that I am required to self-isolate.
- I am currently in receipt of one of the following; Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income-based Employment and Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit.
If you meet all of the above criteria but you are not in receipt of one of these benefits you may still be eligible for the payment under the Cheshire East Discretionary Test and Trace Scheme (PDF, 292KB) if you can demonstrate that all of the following additional criteria apply to you:
- I am are on a low income. We will need to review your income and include your partner’s income (if you have one) for the whole of the month in which your isolation period falls.
- I will face financial hardship as a result of not being able to work whilst Iam self-isolating
- I would be entitled to a qualifying benefit, I have applied and I'm awaiting the application to be processed or haven’t yet applied for it. We can only consider a payment if your (and your partner) income would mean you would qualify for Universal Credit for this month.
- I have fixed property costs for example a mortgage payment or rent costs through a commercial tenancy agreement which is evidenced by having a liability for Council Tax.
- If you pay rent/board to a close relative, such as your parents, step parents, in-laws, brothers or sisters the support payment may not be appropriate but you may qualify for other help through the people helping people scheme or the Emergency Assistance scheme.
Before you start your application
We will ask you about your employment or self-employment so we can check that you cannot work from home and that you will lose income because you are self-isolating.
At the end of the application form, you will be asked to upload documentary evidence to support your application. You can upload PDF and Microsoft Word documents and photographs / images of documents.
Required evidence
This is the evidence you will need to have ready. We cannot consider your application without all of this:
- Your notification from NHS Test and Trace asking you to self-isolate. This will include the date you were notified and a Unique 8 digit ID number known as a CTAS reference number and must have been sent to you on or after Monday 28 September 2020. Please note this is different to the 12 digit reference number the NHS provide to employers.
- Your most recent bank statement - must be for the person isolating showing their name, account and sort code.
- If you are employed - proof of your employment, for example your most recent pay slip.
- If you are self-employed, evidence of your self-assessment returns, trading income and proof that your business delivers services which cannot be undertaken without social contact.
Who is not eligible?
You will not be eligible for the scheme if you:
- are quarantining after travelling abroad (unless you test positive during the 10-day quarantine period).
- continue to receive full wages while you self-isolate
- can work from home during a period of self-isolation.
- are no longer required to self-isolate i.e. your period of self-isolation ends before the Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme launches on 28 September 2020.
- have not received a notification from NHS Test and Trace telling you to self-isolate.
- have not applied by the 28th day following the first day of your period of self-isolation. Example: First day for self-isolation is 1st January 2021 you could apply up to and including the 28th January 2021 but if you applied on the 29th January 2021 you would be out of time and refused.
Apply for the Test and Trace support payment
If you are unable to complete the online application yourself, you can call 0300 123 5035 for assistance.
What happens after you submit your application
If you are eligible, we will make a payment into your bank account within 3 working days of receiving your completed application and evidence.
If you didn't submit evidence as part of your application, you can send it to us separately using the test and trace payment evidence upload form.
Questions about the scheme