With Coronavirus (COVID-19) now affecting many areas of our services to the residents and businesses of Amber Valley, we are keen to keep you right up-to-date with the changes we are being forced to make. Read more about your council services.
From 28 September the UK government has announced that there will be a new legal duty on all UK residents who test positive for Covid-19 or are identified by the NHS Test and Trace as a close contact, requiring them to self-isolate.
As this new legal duty may impact your ability to work and earn a living, the government has introduced a £500 payment for those who are having to self-isolate and this scheme will run until 31 January 2021.
Please read all the information below before making your claim, including eligibility criteria and what evidence you need to provide.
When you are ready, please complete our Test and Trace Support Payment online form.
Eligibility for the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment, including discretionary payments, is for people who are told to self-isolate on or after 28 September 2020 and who meet the relevant eligibility criteria below. We cannot accept applications from people told to self-isolate before 28 September 2020, even if the period of self-isolation continues after 28 September.
Test and Trace Support Payment
If you meet all of the following eligibility criteria, you are entitled to a Test and Trace Support Payment of £500:
Discretionary payment
You may be eligible for a £500 discretionary payment if you:
Or you will face financial hardship as a result of not being able to work while you are self-isolating.
Please ensure that you have the below information available before starting the application as you will be required to upload this during the form:
You will receive this payment via BACS transfer. This payment will be for £500 and is subject to tax. However, you will not be taxed at the point of payment and will be contacted by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at a later date.
Eligible individuals can make a claim up to 14 days after their period of self-isolation ended. We cannot accept applications after this point.
People in the same household can each make an individual application to receive the payment, if they each meet the eligibility criteria.
Some individuals could be asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace more than once.
Someone can claim more than once (if they are told to self-isolate multiple times), as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for each individual claim and their periods of self-isolation do not overlap.
Applicants can apply on behalf of someone else; however, the £500 must be paid into a bank account in the name of the person for whom the application is being made. For example, if someone applied on behalf of a parent, the payment would be made into the parent’s bank account.
We can only consider applications from individuals who have a valid notification from NHS Test and Trace telling them to stay at home and self-isolate.
The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme does not cover people who are self-isolating after returning to the UK from abroad, unless they have tested positive for Coronavirus or have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.
The council will write to you to confirm the decision but as this is discretionary there are no appeal rights to an Independent Tribunal. However, you can ask us to look at your case again if you not happy with the outcome. This would need to be made in writing, stating the reasons you are asking for a review of the decision.
Review requests should be sent to isolationpayments@ambervalley.gov.uk.
As Coronavirus impacts on all of our lives we would like to assure Amber Valley residents that they are not on their own. An extensive network of support services is available – providing help, advice and important information. View links and contact details.
Contact the team directly on 01773 570222 or email isolationpayments@ambervalley.gov.uk