Funded by the Department for Work and Pensions on behalf of the UK government, the Household Support Fund scheme (HSF) supports vulnerable Kent households in need of help with significantly rising living costs. The Government has announced that this current round of HSF funding will be the last.
This final round of Household Support Fund will provide Winter Food or Energy support, and will run from January to end February 2026, offering an online public application that enables individual self-referral, or professional referrals on behalf of individuals requiring digital assistance.
This scheme has provisionally been scheduled to open for online applications from Mid-day on Thursday 8th January 2026 and will close at Mid-day Thursday 26th February 2026. These dates subject to change at short notice. The Scheme may close earlier if all the available HSF funds are allocated, therefore early application is recommended.
There is a limited amount of funding available for this scheme and funds will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Support is offered on a one award per ‘household’ basis, therefore applications from more than one resident deemed to be within the same household will not be approved.
If successful, energy support will be provided in the following ways depending on their bill payment method:
A £90 virtual pre-paid energy card* to be used to pay directly to energy providers for electricity, gas, or water bills. Energy providers including British Gas, EDF, Eon, Bulb, Octopus and many more. Sent to applicant via email by the provider Evouchers.com
Any help you may need to redeem your food or Energy card can be found at:
Please note that online registration is required for energy card support, those applicants being referred who do not have access to the internet or a smart phone will be offered a food voucher, which can be delivered by post or email but does not require online security registration.
Who is eligible?
There is an expectation for professionals to complete due diligence checks of applications to ensure that beneficiaries meet the scheme eligibility criteria as set out below:
Applicants that self-refer will be required to submit evidence to prove that they are the energy bill payer for the household and a Kent resident, within an eligible Kent district, at the point of application.
Applicants must
- be aged 16 or over
- be a Kent resident, permanently living within one of the 12 local authorities covered by Kent County Council (this excludes Medway, Bexley, or Bromley)
- be in receipt of means tested benefits or, if you are not in receipt of means tested benefits, you have a household income of £33,000 or less per year
- not be eligible for free school meals.
All applications must be completed online, an offline bulk upload application (minimum of 6 applicants) template will be made available to professionals on request once the scheme opens.
Citizens Advice will also provide support to applicants who struggle to make online applications by calling the Citizens Advice freephone helpline on 0300 304 8003 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm – this line opens Thursday 8th January until scheme closure) they will submit online applications on behalf of applicant. This line is expected to be busy so please be patient if contacting the Citizens Advice Team for help.
To apply or for more information, and any additional enquiries please contact
kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk , call 03000 412424 or visit Household Support Fund – Kent County Council
Please note that application forms will appear when the scheme opens at Mid-day on Thursday 8 January 2026.
