The introduction of Social Fund Budgeting Loans (SFBL) on-line application service - screening

The Department for Communities (DfC) is responsible for the provision of Social Fund Budgeting Loans (SFBL) to citizens in Northern Ireland (NI) who are in receipt of a qualifying benefit and relies on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Social Fund Computer System (SFCS) to deliver this service.

A digital application process has been introduced by DWP for customers in Great Britain (GB) which allows citizens to make an application for a budgeting loan on-line, using a digital claim form available on the GOV.UK platform. This service is not yet available in NI, and applications for Social Fund Budgeting Loans in NI can only be accepted via a postal application form.