Low-income workers in England in receipt of certain benefits who’ve been told by NHS Test and Trace’s human contact-tracers to self-isolate have been eligible for the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment scheme since September.

But users of the Covid-19 app who received automatic alerts instructing them to isolate haven’t been able to claim the same £500 support payment.

This discrepancy has now been corrected as health secretary Matt Hancock announced that from 10 December, people told to isolate by the Covid-19 app, and who are eligible, can claim the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment directly through the app too.

Eligibility for the £500 payment

The £500 self-isolation payment is available to those who meet the following criteria:

• Told by NHS Test and Trace that they are required to self-isolate (now applied to Covid-19 app users)
• Employed or self-employed
• Unable to work from home and will lose income as a result
• Currently receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income-Based Employment and Support Allowance, Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit.

The scheme is administered by local authorities and has been in place since 12 October. However, those eligible who self-isolate from 28 September have been able to receive backdated payments.