People are required to isolate for 14 days after coming into contact with someone with Covid – or contracting the disease – they can now apply for the £ 500.

The new rules in effect since this weekend mean that anyone required to be isolated for up to 14 days via the NHS Test and Trace app will be able to apply for the additional support.

“If the app tells you to self-isolate, you are now entitled to pay £ 500,” consumer expert Martin Lewis told viewers Thursday on the ITV Money Show. woman.

“Those who have been asked to self-isolate in the past few days will also qualify for support – but it will not include those who have now completed their isolation period,” he added.

The new rules starting on Thursday mean that those asked to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app will be able to use their phones to apply for grants of £ 500.

Support payments to low-paid workers who were ordered to stay home due to contact with positive cases were previously only available to people reached by contact trackers.

However, under the new plans from the NHS Test and Trace, anyone eligible to pay can now file a claim through the app.

The cash payments of £ 500 are designed to make it easier for the poorest workers who cannot afford to self-isolate for up to 14 days.

About 4 million people are thought to be eligible for the grant, including those with benefits and at work.

The Test and Trace Support Program went into effect on September 28 and will run through January 31, 2021.

Hereby, anyone who meets the eligibility criteria and is required to self-isolate is entitled to a payment of £ 500.

The government says fewer than 4 million people in England are eligible – including those on benefits and at work.

You can claim payment if you receive a blanket credit, work tax credit, income-based employment and support allowance, income-based jobseeker allowance, income support, housing benefit and / or pension credit.

You must be employed or self-employed and unable to work from home – resulting in lost income as a result.

The government has made it clear that you will only be eligible for the £ 500 payment if required to be isolated by the NHS Test and Trace – regardless of whether you have any symptoms.

You can now apply for the scholarship via the NHS Test and Trace application or online through your local council.

Councils will deliver the payments and administer the system, according to the government.

If you are applying through your local council, you will need to show four clues when applying:

The government has said people will receive a sum of £ 500 plus any statutory sick payments or benefits they receive.

The statutory sickness wage is worth £ 95.85 per week for working people who earn more than £ 120 per week, are in isolation and cannot work from home.

No, not at the moment – the scheme only applies in England.