Crisis payment
Published
Monday 19 October, 2026
Updated
Thursday 22 October, 2026
Kent County Council can offer crisis support if you are facing an urgent situation that means you cannot meet your immediate essential needs without help, funded by the UK Government's Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)
Who is eligible
You may be able to apply if you are facing an immediate financial crisis caused by an unexpected event or emergency, such as:
- a sudden loss of income
- an unexpected essential expense that you cannot afford
- an emergency such as fire, flood, bereavement, domestic abuse or homelessness
- circumstances that place your health, safety, or wellbeing at immediate risk.
To be eligible for crisis support, you must be:
- aged 16 or over
- a permanent Kent resident, paying council tax to one of the 12 local authorities covered by Kent County Council (this excludes Medway, Bexley, or Bromley)
- in receipt of means tested benefits or, if you are not in receipt of means tested benefits, you have a household income of £33,000 or less per year
- experiencing an urgent need due to an emergency, disaster, unforeseen situation or a pressing need significantly beyond normal low income pressures
- able to demonstrate your household budgets are normally managed effectively.
Find out more about, and apply for, Kent County Council's crisis payments on their website.
If you are unable to apply online, you can get help in person at your local Citizens Advice branch or call them on 0300 304 8003 and leave a message. An advisor will then call you back and support you to complete the application.
You can request this information in braille, large print or audio transcribed formats.
