Discretionary Assistance Fund Wales: how to apply

The DAF is Wales’s version of the emergency help that councils provide in England and the Scottish Welfare Fund provides in Scotland. It is run by the Welsh Government and is not a loan, so there is nothing to pay back. It is also discretionary: meeting the conditions does not guarantee a grant, and the fund has a limited budget.

It is used a lot. Between September 2025 and March 2026 about 129,200 payments were approved, worth £18.8 million. The average Emergency Assistance Payment was £84 and the average Individual Assistance Payment £1,220.

Who can get an Emergency Assistance Payment?

An Emergency Assistance Payment (EAP) is a grant to help with essential costs such as food, gas, electricity or emergency travel. To get one, you must:

• live in Wales and be 16 or over (there is no upper age limit)
• be in extreme financial hardship, for example because you have lost your job, or have applied for benefits and are waiting for your first payment, and have no other means of support
• be facing an unexpected crisis that has left you without money for food, gas, electricity or other essentials, and need help straight away
• have no other money you can use, such as savings.

It cannot be used for ongoing bills you cannot afford, or for rent or debt payments. Help with heating oil, and some other items such as clothing vouchers, can only be requested through an approved partner.

If you are fleeing domestic abuse and an approved partner supports your application, you can get an enhanced EAP of £111.

Who can get an Individual Assistance Payment?

An Individual Assistance Payment (IAP) helps you, or someone you care for, live independently in your home or a home you are moving into. It provides goods rather than cash: white goods such as a fridge or washing machine, and furniture such as beds, sofas and chairs. You can only apply through an approved partner.

You must live in Wales, be 16 or over, have no access to other money and have tried other affordable sources such as a credit union. You normally need to be getting one of the listed means-tested benefits, which include Universal Credit and the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit. Since July 2025 people fleeing domestic abuse do not need to be on a means-tested benefit.

You also need to be in one of these situations:

• leaving a care home, hospital, prison or foster care after at least 3 months, to live independently
• trying to stay living in the community rather than going into hospital or a care home
• setting up home after an unsettled way of life, such as homelessness
• needing to move quickly because of a relationship breakdown or domestic violence
• caring for a prisoner or young offender released on temporary licence.

You may not qualify if you or your partner have savings or capital.

How often can you apply?

• Not if you have received a grant in the last 7 days.
• Not if you have already had 3 grants in the last rolling 12 months.
• Not for the same things you applied for in the last 28 days, unless your situation has changed.

How do you apply?

1. Online. Start from the DAF apply page on gov.wales. This is usually the quickest route for an Emergency Assistance Payment.
2. By phone. Call the DAF on 0800 859 5924, 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Calls in Welsh are welcome.
3. On paper. A printed application form can be posted to the DAF at PO Box 2377, Wrexham, LL11 0LG. The paper form can only be sent as a hard copy.
4. Through an approved partner. A partner organisation, such as a housing or support service, can apply for you. This is the only route for Individual Assistance Payments and heating oil.

The office is closed on bank holidays. You can still apply online, but your application will not be processed until the next working day.

If someone else fills in the form for you, you still need to sign the declaration yourself. If you cannot, you can authorise someone to apply on your behalf, and the DAF will then deal with them.

What should you have ready?

The application asks for a lot of detail, and missing information is the most common reason for delays or refusals. The form says that without the information it asks for, it cannot make a grant. Have these to hand:

• your National Insurance number, which is used to check your details
• every source of money coming in, including all benefits, pensions and wages for you and your partner, with amounts and payment dates
• any savings or money you are waiting for, such as a benefit payment or a loan
• your bank details. The form says these must always be given, even if you want a voucher, because they are used for fraud checks
• a mobile number, which is where PayPoint vouchers are sent
• every address you have lived at in the last 3 years
• details of everyone in your household, including children’s dates of birth
• any serious or long-term health problems affecting you or someone you live with
• contact details for anyone helping you, such as a support worker, and a police incident number if you have reported a crime.

The form checks some details, such as benefits, with the Department for Work and Pensions, and may contact people involved in your case, such as a social worker or doctor.

Answering the three crisis questions

For an Emergency Assistance Payment, the form asks what the money would be used for, what unexpected costs you have had, and why they were unexpected. These answers carry a lot of weight. Be specific:

• say exactly what you need, for example “£40 of electricity on my key meter and food for me and two children until my first Universal Credit payment on [date]”
• explain what happened and when: a lost job, a delayed benefit payment, a boiler repair, money stolen
• explain why you could not plan for it, and why you have no other money or help available.

What happens after you apply?

• Emergency Assistance Payment: applications made Monday to Friday take 24 hours to process. If you apply after noon on a Friday, you will not hear until the following Monday.
• Individual Assistance Payment: 10 working days.

You get a letter by email or post with the decision. An Emergency Assistance Payment is paid by PayPoint voucher, sent to the mobile number on your application, or by bank transfer. Since July 2025 you can choose a bank transfer instead of a voucher for payments under £100. For an Individual Assistance Payment, the goods are delivered: white goods by AO Retail Limited and furniture by The Furnishings Service, who contact you to arrange delivery. Allow 24 hours after approval before contacting them yourself.

What if you are refused?

The decision letter explains why. If you think the decision is wrong, ask for a review, and do it quickly. The review page on gov.wales, last updated in July 2026, says to ask within 20 days of getting the decision, while the paper form gives 15 working days, so the safest course is to ask as soon as you can.

1. Stage 1 review. Contact the DAF by email, post or phone. You can add information or evidence, and a partner organisation or someone you nominate can help. The DAF processing team looks at the decision again: within 24 hours on weekdays for an EAP, and within 15 working days for an IAP.
2. Stage 2 review. If you are still unhappy, ask for an independent review within 20 working days of the Stage 1 decision. It is carried out by Family Fund Business Services.
3. Complaint. After both reviews, you can complain to the Welsh Government.

If you use our checker, we may pass your details to a licensed insolvency practitioner or debt adviser.

What other help is there in Wales?

A grant can get you through a crisis, but if you are short every month, the underlying problem needs looking at. Some things work differently in Wales.

• Council tax. Councils in Wales cannot send people to prison for unpaid council tax, a sanction removed from 1 April 2019. From 1 April 2026, councils in Wales must send a final notice before the whole year’s bill becomes due, and you get 21 days from that notice to pay. The Welsh Government says that gives households at least 63 days from a missed payment before a council can apply to court for a liability order. All Welsh councils have also signed up to the Council Tax Protocol for Wales, which commits them to offer support to people who fall behind. See council tax arrears.
• Breathing Space is available in Wales as well as England, through a free debt adviser. It pauses most creditor action for up to 60 days.
• Universal Credit Budgeting Advances are available across the UK if you get Universal Credit. See emergency money: crisis loans and budgeting advances for these and the equivalent schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• Money owed to the DWP can often be repaid at a lower rate if you are struggling: see DWP Debt Management.

If you are behind on several bills, work out which to deal with first using our guide to priority and non-priority debts. Free, impartial debt advice is available from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice and National Debtline: see where to get free debt advice. An adviser can also check that you are getting every benefit you are entitled to. For longer-term options, see debt solutions compared.

What to do next

1. If you need help today, apply online or call the DAF on 0800 859 5924 (10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday).
2. Have your National Insurance number, bank details, income details and mobile number ready before you start.
3. If you need furniture or white goods, ask a support worker, housing officer or Citizens Advice to apply through an approved partner.
4. If you are refused, ask for a review straight away, and get free debt advice about the problem behind the crisis. Our debt problems hub is a good place to start.