GroceryAid Financial Grant Application 25

GroceryAid Financial Grant Application
The School Essentials Grant 2025 is now closed. If you apply on this form for help with School Essentials/Uniform your application will be rejected. For a Financial Grant, check if you meet criteria before you proceed.

Our current timescale for reviewing applications is six weeks. Please make sure you include all the documents requested when you apply to avoid delays.

You can only apply for a Cost of Living grant again, 12 months after your last grant payment.

If you are trying to reapply but cannot proceed, please check the date of your last grant payment. If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1).
Are you currently working in Grocery?*
GroceryAid supports people who work or have worked in Grocery. This includes anyone who works for a supermarket, wholesaler, convenience store, independent grocery, petrol forecourt store or service provider to the grocery trade.

We also support businesses in the foodservice wholesale sector and vape stores/manufacturers. Grocery is considered fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sold in supermarkets or grocery stores.
Will you be able to evidence six months continuous employment in Grocery?*
The easiest way to show your grocery employment will be to login to your payroll portal and download pdf payslips to provide with your application. We will need to see your last six months or if paid weekly one for each month. If you don't have access to a portal you could photograph your full payslips and upload these. You must include your most recent payslip.
We are unable to consider an application from you without at least six months continuous employment in Grocery.

If you have not kept your payslips or P60's then you could request a report from HMRC showing all the employers you have worked for here. Please be aware this will take at least six weeks.

If you have access to a mobile device you can download the HMRC app to access your employment and income history for the previous five years. Click here to download the HMRC app.

Once you log in, press ‘pay as you earn’ and ‘other tax years or employment history’. At the bottom of the page press ‘your income tax and employment history’. This will take you to a new page where you can see your employment history. At the bottom of this page press ‘download income tax history PDF’, where you will have the option to save the PDF to your device. When you get to the employment section in our application form you will be able to upload the PDF document to evidence your employment.

Please do not apply until you have your report.
Have you previously worked in the grocery industry for at least five years and was the last job you worked in Grocery?*
GroceryAid employment policy sets out that if you are not currently working in Grocery you must evidence five years' service in Grocery and your last employment must have been in Grocery and only ended due to retirement, illness, Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment rights (Tupe), redundancy or caring responsibilities.
As you are not currently employed in Grocery you will need to evidence your previous employment (at least five full years) by uploading your P60's for each year of employment.

If you have not kept your payslips or P60's then you could request a report from HMRC showing all the employers you have worked for here. Please be aware this will take at least six weeks. Please do not apply until you have your report.
Your employment must have ended for one of the following reasons, please select:*

RetirementIllnessTransfer of Undertakings Protection of Employer (Tupe)RedundancyCaring Responsibilities
GroceryAid employment policy sets out that if you are not currently working in Grocery you must evidence five years' service in Grocery and your last employment must have been in Grocery and only ended due to retirement, illness, Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment rights (Tupe), redundancy or caring responsibilities.
Will you be able to evidence five years previous employment in Grocery?*
The easiest way to show your grocery employment will be to provide P60's for five years. If you have not kept your P60's then you could request a report from HMRC showing all the employers you have worked for here. Please be aware this will take at least six weeks. Please do not apply until you have your report.
As you are not currently employed in Grocery you will need to evidence your previous employment (at least five full years) by uploading your P60's for each year of employment.

If you have not kept your payslips or P60's then you could request a report from HMRC showing all the employers you have worked for here. Please be aware this will take at least six weeks. Please do not apply until you have your report.
Have you previously applied to GroceryAid?*
If you have previously applied to GroceryAid you must be able to evidence a significant change in your household income from your last application or that you or someone in your household is in receipt of caring benefits, DLA or ESA.

If you would like to check what a significant change in circumstances means, please click here to read further information on this.
Did you receive a GroceryAid Grant?*
GroceryAid can only pay one grant if you are not currently employed in grocery. Based on your answers we will be unable to consider a further grant, however if you would like to discuss your circumstances with a member of our Welfare Team please call us on 01252 875 925 (Option 1).
What is your reason for applying?*
We cannot award a Cost of Living grant within 12 months of a previous GroceryAid financial grant.

If you have been paid a School Essentials Grant in July 2024 you will not be eligible for a Cost of Living Grant. Please check you can evidence you meet the criteria for a Financial Grant.
What is your reason for applying?*
GroceryAid can only provide financial support help if you can evidence you are in financial crisis. We need to see the impact this has had on your finances to help us understand how best we can support you.
Have your household total available balances been above £4,000 during the 90 days before application? *
As part of your application, you will be asked to provide bank statements for all current accounts, savings and investments for all household accounts.

It is important that all accounts are provided (including savings accounts for children or dependants and bitcoin or crypto currency statements) so that you can demonstrate your savings are below our criteria of £4,000 during the 90 days before application.
As your savings / available balances are over £4,000 you will not be eligible for a GroceryAid Grant. Please click here for practical support you can access.
If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

About your Financial Grant Application

Please make sure you include all documents requested when you apply to avoid delays.

We are committed to ensuring that we handle all data which we hold about you, in a safe and responsible manner and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 which is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our full privacy policy can be found here Privacy Policy. Please refer to this policy before giving consent below:

Section 29 (3) of the Data Protection Act allows GroceryAid to share personal data to third parties for the purpose of crime prevention.

Please note your application will not be shared with your employer.

Declarations
- I confirm that I and any other members of my household included on this application have read the Charity's Privacy Policy and agreed to provide personal and financial information requested including partner/spouse bank statements where applicable.
- I confirm that I/they give our fully informed consent for GroceryAid to collect and hold personal data about us including financial information during the application process for the sole purpose of assessing my eligibility for a grant.
If you agree to the above declarations please select 'I Agree'*

I Agree
About your Grocery Employment

Please enter the details of all grocery employment that you will evidence, include previous and current.

If you are unsure on exact dates please add the nearest date. If your employment is current please leave the 'end date' blank.

To add multiple employers please use the 'Add Further Grocery Employment' button.
About your Grocery Employment

Please enter the details of all grocery employment that you will evidence, include all previous employment. If you are unsure on exact dates please add the nearest date.

To add multiple employers please use the 'Add Further Grocery Employment' button.
NI Number*
About your current Employment
As you are currently employed in Grocery you will need to evidence your employment in one of the following ways:

Your last six months of payslips, (if paid weekly, one for each month) including your most recent.

OR

Your last P60 and most recent payslip.
Current Employment Evidence*

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About your previous Employment
As you are not currently employed in Grocery you will need to evidence your previous employment (at least five full years) by uploading your P60's for each year of employment.

If you have not kept your P60's then you could request a report from HMRC showing all the employers you have worked for here. Please be aware this may take up to six weeks. Please do not apply until you have your report.
Previous Employment Evidence*

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If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Personal Details
Applicant Name

PrefixFirst NameLast Name
Prefix*
First Name*
Last Name*
Date of Birth*

DayMonthYear
Address*

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

CityCounty

Postal Code
Postal Code*
What best describes your gender?*
This information will only be used for diversity and equality monitoring purposes. If you would not like to share this information you can select 'Prefer not to say'.
What is your ethnic group?*
This information will only be used for diversity and equality monitoring purposes. If you would not like to share this information you can select 'Prefer not to say'.
Accommodation type *
Marital Status*
Your Partner/Spouse
Full Name*

PrefixFirst NameLast Name
Date of Birth*

DayMonthYear
Household Information
What is your current situation?*
What is your Partner/Spouse's current situation?
Do you receive Child Benefit for any children who live with you?*
How many dependants are you receiving Child Benefit for? *
Name of 1st Dependant

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth

DayMonthYear
Date
Name of 2nd Dependant

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth

DayMonthYear
Date
Name of 3rd Dependant

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth

DayMonthYear
Date
Name of 4th Dependant

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth

DayMonthYear
Date
Name of 5th Dependant

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth

DayMonthYear
Date
Name of 6th Dependant

First NameLast Name
Date of Birth

DayMonthYear
Date
Does anyone else live in your household? (Please include any children that you don't receive benefits for)*
Please detail who lives with you and your relationship to them.
Contact Information

When reviewing your application, we may need to contact you to better understand how to help you or because something is not clear. Please provide your email and telephone number so that this will not delay your application.

If we call, this will be from an 01252 number. Please check your junk/spam folders to make sure you don't miss any emails.
Email*

Confirmation EmailPlease re-enter your email address.
Telephone Number
What is your preferred contact method? *
If we need to contact you, this will be between 9am and 5pm Mon-Fri. We will use your preferred method although even if you have chosen email, there may be times we need to speak to you. If that's the case, we will email you first to confirm the best time to call.
How did you hear about us? *
If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Household Benefits
Is anyone in your household in receipt of a state benefit?*
Please select each of the benefits you or your household receive from the list below. Please note, you must be able to evidence each benefit. If you add a benefit by mistake, select remove.
Please upload a full recent Universal Credit statement, showing:

Your name and address, payment amount & full breakdown
Benefit Evidence Upload *

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If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Reason for Application
We need to understand your reason for applying so that we can decide how best to help you. You can only select one reason, please read the pop up information carefully after you have selected your reason so that you provide everything required for GroceryAid to consider your application.
Please select the category which best explains your reason for application. *
Debt

We recommend you receive debt advice before completing your application and upload the full debt report showing the advice you have been given. StepChange can offer you impartial debt and budgeting advice here

If you have arrears in Rent or Council tax please provide statements, showing arrears or notice of court proceedings.

We may refer you to Shelter for a specialist caseworker to provide advice and help you negotiate the best plan before a grant is considered.
Benefits/Sanctions

If your benefits have changed or reduced, please provide us with a copy of the communications explaining the change or sanction.

If you are paid four weekly, there will be some months when you are paid twice and this will impact your Universal Credit payment and in some cases mean you receive no Universal Credit payment at all.

If a change to your Universal Credit means you are having trouble paying your bills and household expenses, please speak to your work coach or call the Department of Work and Pensions to talk about the help that may be available. GroceryAid are unable to award a financial grant to cover the shortfall.

You can access our budget planner tool here
Bereavement/Funeral Expenses

If you are applying for help towards funeral expenses due to a recent bereavement please provide:
- Evidence that the funeral costs are your responsibility.
- Invoice or quote from the funeral director
- Confirmation from the DWP that you have applied for a Government Funeral Payment and received a letter confirming the outcome.
For more information on the Government Funeral Payment please see here

For practical help on what to do when someone dies, click here
Caring Responsibilities/Long-term Disability

If you are struggling financially with caring for someone in your household with an illness, disability or long-term health condition, please include evidence of:
- Caring / Disability benefits you receive
- Reduction in your income that may be because of illness, disability or caring in your household.
Domestic Abuse/Violence

We need to understand how best we can help you.
- Have you left your home and are living somewhere temporarily; do you need a financial grant to help you move forward?
- If you have already moved and are now struggling with setting up a new home or struggling to manage previous debts, please think about how you can provide evidence, e.g. change of addresses (even if this was some time ago) and copies of any debt / arrears statements.
- If you are considering leaving an abusive situation, please tell us how a grant will help.
Please remember you can call the GroceryAid Helpline: 08088 021122 for emotional support, legal advice and practical help on debt and benefits.

Find out how to recognise the signs and where to get help. Please click here to find help relevant to your situation.
Gambling

Gamcare are a charity who support people who would like to cut down on their gambling and also supports the family of those who are gambling regularly. You can access this service here.

GroceryAid are unable to award a grant direct to anyone considered to be in active addiction.

This includes where we can identify transactions on your bank statements above 15% of household income to gambling or online entertainment. We consider you responsible for all transactions showing on statements in your name/partner’s name.
Mental Health

GroceryAid offers a wide range of support services for people struggling with stress, anxiety, low mood or depression.

In the moment emotional support from our BACP accredited counsellors 24/7 365 days a year from our free confidential GroceryAid Helpline: 08088 021122. Structured counselling by telephone or face to face is available subject to a counselling assessment.

If you are applying for financial support because your mental health has caused a reduction in your income or a change of circumstances, please provide:
- Evidence of a reduction in income through bank statements or payslips.
Physical Illness

If you are applying for financial support because an illness has caused you to have a reduction in income or a change of circumstances, please provide:
- Evidence of a reduction in income through bank statements or payslips.
Mobility

If you need mobility items such as adaptations to your home or stairlifts, please arrange a Local Authority Needs Assessment. This can be arranged by asking your GP or calling Adult Social Care at your Local Authority.

Your Local Authority has a legal duty to carry out an assessment to find out what help you need to live as independently as possible. In Northern Ireland, the Health and Social Care Trust does this.

If you have already had a Needs Assessment, please provide this with your application along with any quotes you have.
Household Repairs/Items

If you are applying for support with household items or repairs, please provide evidence/quotes where relevant.
Traumatic Incident

If you are applying for financial support because your household has suffered a traumatic incident which has caused you to have a change of circumstances or increased costs, please provide evidence of the impact where possible.

We consider a traumatic incident to be situations like: house fire, flooding or terminal diagnosis for you or a member of your household.
Housing

If you are at risk of homelessness or currently homeless then GroceryAid can consider supporting you with creating a plan to help you move forward.

We may refer you to Shelter for a specialist caseworker to provide advice and help you negotiate the best plan before a grant is considered.
Relationship

If applying for financial support due to a relationship breakdown, please provide evidence of the change of status including, if relevant:
- Change of address (even if this was some time ago)
- Change of benefit awards
- Copies of any debts you have that you would like to have considered
Please include in your reason the date of your change in relationship status.
Cost of Living

Costs like energy, food and rent are rising steeply. If you are worried about being able to afford these increases, then GroceryAid has some ideas on how to manage your finances which you can access here

If the increased cost of living is the only reason you are applying and your household is on a low income and in receipt of means tested benefits, you may be eligible for a one-off cost of living grant from GroceryAid.

We are unable to help with school uniform or holiday costs. If these are the only reason for your application, it will be rejected.
The information you have declared means you are not eligible for a Cost of Living grant from GroceryAid as you are not in receipt of means tested benefits.

If you can evidence a reduction in income or a change in your household circumstances from the “reasons for application” above, then please select and continue.
Please give the reason for your application. This should include what has happened and how you would like GroceryAid to help.*
Please upload any supporting documents for your reason. For example: If you selected Debt, please upload your debt report.

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Application Route
If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Financial Grant Application
Household Employment/Pension Income

If any of the following fields are not applicable for your income and expenditure then please select 'not applicable' to continue.
Which of these have you received in the last 3 months?
Please provide the name of your employer for your second job.
Which of these has your Partner/Spouse received in the last 3 months?
Please provide the name of your Partner/Spouse's employer for their second job.
Household Expenditure

GroceryAid uses figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Minimum Income Standards to calculate living costs so we only need to collect the below expenditure.

If you would like to do a quick check to see if you may be eligible for a financial grant, you can do so here.

Please be aware that the calculator is a guide only and not a guarantee that you will receive a grant.
Which of these are you responsible for and can evidence regular payments?
Please provide the name of your landlord or housing provider.
Financial Evidence

To progress your application you will need to provide the last three months bank/building society statements for all accounts held in your name. If you are living as a couple, we will require all of your partner's statements too.

The statements must evidence all household income, savings, and expenditure. This includes any bill holding accounts, pots/round-up accounts linked to current accounts, and any internet savings accounts (e.g. Plum); and may mean you have to provide several bank account statements.

If you do not provide bank statements evidencing all household income and housing costs, then your application will be rejected.
How to provide your Financial Evidence

Option 1: Provide access to your accounts through Open Banking.

We use Open Banking through Consents.Online which is a safe and secure way to share your financial data online. (a third party organisation, part of equifax)

How does it work?
- Simply give Consents.Online permission to access your account information via a secure link emailed to you.
- GroceryAid will then be provided with one-time access to view your last 3 months bank statements to check you meet our financial criteria.
You can sign up in less than 5 minutes by following the simple steps.

If you want to find out more about Consents.Online you can do so here

Please note, some banks are not supported by this API service. If your banking provider is Co-op or Metro you will not be able to continue and will be asked to provide your financial data in an alternative way.
Option 2: Bank statement upload

You can choose to upload your bank statements directly within the application form. These can be as a pdf, scans/photographs of paper statements, or complete screenshots.
How would you like to proceed? *
Thank you for agreeing to provide your financial evidence via Consents.Online. Upon completion of the application you will be redirected to a webpage confirming the link you need to follow to complete this process.

You will also receive the Consents.Online link in your email confirmation.

If you need to upload any additional financial evidence that you cannot provide through Consents.Online then please use the upload field below.
Additional Financial Evidence (if applicable)

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Thank you for agreeing to provide your financial evidence via document upload.

Bank statements can usually be downloaded as a PDF from your online banking. These can be saved to your device and then uploaded to our application form. We will not accept incomplete screenshots or excel downloads.

All information will need visible on any documentation provided, including identifying information, full transactions lists, and account balances.

Please ensure that you provide evidence of all household accounts, this includes your partner/spouse if applicable.
Financial Evidence Upload *

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FG Complete
If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Cost of Living Application
GroceryAid currently has a Cost of Living hardship grant to offer support to current Grocery employees.The information you have provided shows that you are in receipt of benefits and experiencing financial difficulty due to the current climate and can now continue to complete a light touch Cost of Living application form.

The Cost of Living grant is a maximum of £300 and requires less evidence to apply, although we may ask for additional evidence to verify your situation to process your application. You may receive a higher award by applying through our financial grants programme if your reason for application meets our criteria and can be evidenced.

If you do not want to apply for a Cost of Living grant, please scroll down and click 'back' to re-select your reason for your application. You will need to provide evidence of the reason you select.
I have read and understood the above information, I confirm that I would like to apply for a Cost of Living Grant.*

Yes, I agree
If GroceryAid may be able to award a higher grant due to your situation, would you like to be contacted to discuss this?
Benefits

Please upload evidence of the benefits selected, this can be in one of the following formats:

A benefit statement showing the payment amount in your name and address.

OR

A bank statement with your address showing the benefit crediting.
Benefits Upload *

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If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Cost of Living Application
Grant Information

A maximum of £300 per household can be awarded.

Please provide bank account details in your name which will be used for payment should your application be successful. We will only pay to a Partner/Spouse where you have evidenced living at the same address.

Notice: If you make a mistake or enter your details incorrectly GroceryAid will be unable to reissue your payment. Please double check all details have been entered correctly.

Please use an account that you will be able to access for the next four weeks.
Account Name *
Enter first initial and surname only.
Account Number *
Please re-enter your Account Number *
Your Account Number does not match, please check and re-enter the correct details.
Sort Code*
Please re-enter your Sort Code*
Your Sort Code does not match, please check and re-enter the correct details.
If you have a building society bank account, please use the button below to add your reference.
Building Society Reference
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If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.

Declarations and Submit
Please take some time to review your application and check that all information has been provided.
- I agree that all the information provided in the application form is true and correct and full disclosure of all income, savings and investments has been made. I will inform GroceryAid of any change in circumstances that I may have during the application process.
- I confirm that I have uploaded evidence of my employment, all household finances and reason for application.
Once you have read the above information please select 'I Agree'.*

I Agree
Application Status
Application Status Reason
If you get stuck, give us a call on 01252 875 925 (Option 1) or email us at applications@groceryaid.org.uk, available during office hours.
Should be Empty:

GroceryAid Financial Grant Application

Please make sure you include all documents requested when you apply to avoid delays.

About your current Employment

About your previous Employment

Personal Details

Household Benefits

Reason for Application

Financial Grant Application

Cost of Living Application

Cost of Living Application

Declarations and Submit