Contact Jobcentre Plus on to make a new budgeting loan claim or direct your general enquiry to their national budgeting loans helpline telephone number 0345 603 6967.
Budgeting Loan Enquiries – 0345 603 6967
Phone the Department for Work & Pensions to get a budgeting loan by calling Jobcentre Plus on their local-rate contact number 0345 603 6967. You can call this helpline to get advice about how to pay back a budgeting loan, find out if you are eligible for a loan and to enquire about how much money you can borrow. Budgeting loans are income-free so you don’t have to worry about paying back any more money than you initially borrowed, however there are certain conditions attached as to how much money you can borrow and what you can spend the money on. Furthermore you can only get a budgeting loan if you or your partner have been receiving certain income-related benefits for a period of at least 26 weeks. The Jobcentre Plus helpline for budgeting loans is open 8am-6pm Monday-Friday so please be aware that you will not be able to get information about budgeting loans on weekends. Their helpline costs the exact same rate as calling local geographic phone numbers in the UK, such as 01 or 02 phone numbers, and you can see full details about call cost information by visiting our detailed page on 03 phone numbers.
Crisis Loans – 0345 603 6967
Crisis Loans were abolished in April 2013 and replaced by Budgeting Loans for the majority of the United Kingdom. You may still be able to claim some form of crisis loan via your local council but this is dependent on where you live as the majority of councils no longer offer this particular benefit. You can establish whether you will still be able to get crisis grants by calling Jobcentre Plus on their national telephone number 0345 603 6967.
Budgeting Loan Claims & Addresses
Call the national Jobcentre Plus phone number 0345 603 6967 to get a claims form sent to you so that you can get a budgeting loan. This form is an SF500 form which you can also download from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) on their website www.gov.uk/government/publications/budgeting-loan-claim-form. As well as getting an English language claims form you can also get a welsh claims form for budgeting loans (benthyciadau cyllidebu ffurflen hawlio): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/496513/sf500w.pdf. Once you have completed your budgeting loan claims form you must send it to the correct DWP address depending on which part of the UK you are in by using the list below.
- Claims address for people living in London, South-East England, South England, North-East England & North-West England:
- Freepost,
DWP Budgeting Loans,
United Kingdom. - Claims address for people living in Scotland, South-West England & West Midlands:
- Freepost,
DWP Budgeting Loans 1,
United Kingdom. - Claims address for people living in East Midlands, Yorkshire, East England & Essex:
- Freepost,
DWP Budgeting Loans 2,
United Kingdom - Claims address for residents in Cwmbran, Newport and Welsh postcodes CF3, 5, 10, 11, 14, 15, 23, 24, 31-48, 61-64, 71, 72, 81-83, LD7, LL & SY:
- Freepost,
DWP Budgeting Loans 1,
United Kingdom. - Claims address for people living in Carmarthen, Llanelli and Welsh postcodes CF4, 6-9, 12, 13, 16-22, 25-30, 49-60, 65-70, 73-80, LD1-6 & LD8:
- Freepost,
DWP Budgeting Loans 2,
United Kingdom.
Complain about a Budgeting Loan Decision
If you believe that you have been unfairly rejected for a budgeting loan by the Department for Work & Pensions you should complain to Jobcentre Plus by calling their national contact number 0345 603 6967. If they do not overturn their original decision then you can appeal their decision by going to the Independent Case Examiner. You should send your appeal to them in writing by sending a fax through using their telecopying number 0151 221 6601 or by sending your letter of complaint their official postal address:
The Independent Case Examiner,
PO Box 209,
Bootle,
L20 7WA,
United Kingdom.
Contact your Local Jobcentre Plus
Although you can call the national Jobcentre Plus helpline 0345 603 6967 to apply for a budgeting loan you may be able to get one faster by going through your local centre which you can find by entering your postcode on the official Jobcentre Plus finder website los.direct.gov.uk.