Help with costs during the school holidays
The school holidays can be a stressful time for families, especially when food and childcare costs are increasingly high. We’re sharing our advice to help you cope during the school holidays, including extra support you might not have been aware of and ways you can increase your income if you’re struggling.
Child benefit
Child benefit is a monthly payment for anyone with parental responsibilities for children under the age of 16 (or up to 20 in full-time education).
It’s worth claiming as it can be worth over £17,000 (or more if you’ve got two or more children). You will receive £24 per week for a first-born child and £15.90 per additional child.
If you or your partner earn £50,000 a year or under, you can claim the full entitlement. You can apply for child benefit on the gov.uk website, up until your child is 16.
Childcare costs
Working families may be eligible for tax-free childcare, a government top-up which can be used to help pay for accredited holiday clubs, childminders or sports activities. You can check your eligibility on the gov.uk website.
If you receive a childcare element of Universal Credit, you may be able to claim back up to 85% of your childcare costs during term time and school holidays. The most you can get back each month is £950.92 for one child or £1,630.15 for 2 or more children.
If your child is eligible for free school meals, the local authority may offer subsidised childcare during school holidays. You should speak to your child’s school about this or contact Wigan Council at haf@wigan.gov.uk for more information.
Help with living costs
There is support available if you’re struggling with living costs, including help with bills and rent, food, health and transport costs.
If you’re on a low income or receive certain benefits, you may be entitled to free school meals, free transport to school for your child, or grants to help towards uniform costs.
If you’re pregnant or have a child aged under 4, you may be eligible for the Healthy Start scheme, which provides vouchers towards buying fruit, vegetables and formula milk.
Help with energy costs
If you can’t afford to top up your prepayment meter, you might be able to receive a fuel voucher or get temporary credit from your energy provider.
You can apply for a fuel voucher on the Wigan Council website. You should contact your supplier about temporary credit (if they haven’t added it automatically). Any extra credit you receive will have to be paid for at a later date, but you can speak to your supplier to agree on a manageable way to repay this.
Kids Eat Free scheme
It can be expensive to eat out for families during the cost-of-living crisis, but many shops and restaurants in Wigan Borough are offering cheap or free meals for kids over the summer holidays.
You can view a list of participating locations on Wigan Today, with many places offering meals for children either for £1 or entirely free, however some locations also require a paying adult.
Holiday Activities and Food programme
The Wigan Council Holiday Activities and Food programme provides healthy meals and free activities for children and young people aged 5-16 across the borough, during the Summer holidays.
The scheme is available to families in receipt of benefits-related free school meals and eligible families should receive e-vouchers directly via email or mobile phone, which can be redeemed to book a range of activities.
If your child is eligible for free school meals but you haven’t recieved an e-voucher, you should contact your child’s school first. If you need further information, you can email hafreferrals@wigan.gov.uk.
Increasing your income
If you’re struggling to keep up with the cost-of-living, it’s worth checking that you’re getting all the support you’re entitled to. There are free online benefit calculators available on the Citizens Advice website that allow you to check your entitlement or you can contact us to speak to our team.
