Applications for financial aid will only be accepted from those currently working or with a recent working history in the retail industry or supporting services, including logistics or distribution, manufacturing, wholesale, supply chain and property or facilities management. To be eligible for support, you must meet one of the following employment criteria:
Employment status | You must meet these criteria |
|---|---|
Currently employed in the retail or associated sector, including students, trainees and apprentices | Minimum three months' service with your existing employer |
Unemployed | Must have worked in retail in the last 12 months and have at least two years of continuous service with no gap in retail employment prior to becoming unemployed |
Long-term absent | Must have worked in retail in the last 12 months with at least two years of continuous service with no gap in retail employment prior to absence |
Retired (state pension age or early retirement due to ill health) | Last employment must have been in the retail industry with at least three years of continuous service prior to retirement |
Employment status | Supporting evidence required with your application |
|---|---|
Employed | Your last three payslips |
Self-employed | Proof of your company registration number and three years of filed tax returns |
Unemployed or long-term absent | A letter from your previous or current retail employer confirming your dates of employment on company letterhead paper or sent via company email address Or Most recent payslip from a retail-related employer dated within the last 12 months Two years' P60s, with the last one dated within the last 12 months Or Letter of redundancy |
Retired | An occupational pension slip referencing retail-related employment or a bank statement showing receipt of a retail-related pension Or A letter from your previous employer confirming your dates of employment on company letterhead paper or sent via company email address and three years P60s |
What documents are accepted as proof of income and expenditure?
A PDF copy of your most recent bank statement, showing your name, address, opening and closing balance and all transactions within the period covered by the statement.
Letter of entitlement for benefits that you or a member of your household is currently receiving.
All documents must be dated within the last three months and uploaded to validate your application.
Help with bills: we require a copy of these bills (reflecting the applicant's name, address and amount owing).
Help with paying suppliers: we require quotes from suppliers for any goods or services.
Illness or disability: we require a doctor’s or medical professional’s letter in support of your application, or an occupational therapist’s report.
Help with debt: we require a supporting letter from an agency such as Citizens Advice, other debt management organisation or debt charity, confirming how you are already actively managing your debts and any recommended debt solutions.
Persons at Risk of Violence Order (PARV): we require a supporting letter from an agency such as Citizens Advice, other debt management organisation or debt charity, confirming you are applying for a PARV as part of your recommended debt solutions, such as a Debt Relief Order (DRO), the making of a bankruptcy order or an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).
All documents must be dated within the three months prior to your application and uploaded to validate your application
To get an application approved, you will need to provide required supporting documentation within ten days of your initial submission, or your application will be automatically rejected.
No. Financial Aid provided by the Retail Trust is non-repayable.
No more than two applications will be accepted within a ten-year period, with a minimum period of at least two years between applications. We are unable to process repeat applications for the same type of support as previously applied for.
Due to the volume of referrals received, applications can take up to 14 business days to process; therefore, financial support cannot be provided immediately.
No. Employers will not be informed of any colleague applications. All applications will be reviewed independently by the Retail Trust and will remain confidential.
Unfortunately, the Retail Trust decision is final, and there is no appeals process for financial aid. The Retail Trust will work with you to explore alternative funding sources. They can also support you with debt management, budgeting tools and more here.
The Retail Trust uses its approval criteria for fairness. Common reasons financial aid applications get turned down include gambling debt, evidence of money transfers to other accounts, potential criminal activity or money laundering, evidence of excessive poor financial management and budgeting and failure to supply correct documentation within the required timeframes.
Please apply as you need; the Retail Trust will work with your requirements.
In line with GDPR, all information shared is stored and maintained in line with the Retail Trust’s data retention policies and adhering to relevant data protection legislation.
No. Financial aid from the Retail Trust does not pay off credit card bills. The Retail Trust may be able to support with day-to-day living expenses (in line with the application criteria) and offer budgeting guidance, including referral to alternative sources of debt management.
You can view the progress of your submitted application at any time on this site. Click on your account and then select the option for ‘my financial aid applications’.
Click here to get in touch with our team.