You could be eligible for a £500 self-isolation support payment from the government 

If you’ve had to self isolate due to coronavirus you could be eligible for a one-off support payment. 

Those on lower incomes who faced a loss of earnings as a result of self-isolating could be eligible for the government’s new one-off £500 support payment.

The payment has been introduced to ‘protect the most vulnerable from becoming infected’, according to the Prime Minister. 

Just under four million people could be eligible for the payment if they lose income and are unable to go to work. 

Labour shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, said: “It shouldn’t have taken months for the penny to finally drop that people on low incomes needed more help.” 

Jennifer Williams, political editor for the MEN, told The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: “Politicians here have been calling on the government to provide this money for months – Andy Burnham has framed it as a kind of jury service payment where it’s a civic duty.

“They believe in some parts of Manchester this is why some have been harder to track down in the Track and Trace system because they’ve been reluctant to do that.

“There’s a lot of people in high-risk low paid jobs in Greater Manchester which is mirrored in our infection rates.”

She added: “I don’t know why it has taken them so long but you get the sense that now there’s a rising sense of panic.”

Public Health England explain that just under four million people who receive benefits in England will be eligible for the Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme.

PHE said: “Recognising that self-isolation is one of the most powerful tools for controlling the transmission of Covid-19, this new Test and Trace Support payment of £500 will ensure that those on low incomes are able to self-isolate without worry about their finances.”

The payment will be available to those who are required to self isolate from September 28th, with local authorities expecting the support schemes in place by October 12th. 

Those who self-isolate from September 28th will receive back-dated payments once their local authority sets up the scheme. 

To be eligible you must meet the following criteria:

• you have been asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace
• you are employed or self-employed
• you cannot work from home and will lose income as a result
• you are claiming at least one of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Working Tax Credits, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit