Finances
Here you will find information and guidance on how to manage your money and any debts you may have, and ways to find funding, including from Pharmacist Support, should you need financial assistance.
Our Financial Assistance is here to help you manage your money worries.
Financial worries affect most of us at some point in our lives. We provide a range of support to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists, trainees, and students who are facing financial difficulties due to unexpected circumstances such as a reduction in your income and find it a struggle to pay bills, or unexpected challenges such as bereavement, relationship breakdowns or illness have caused financial stress. You can find more information about the types of financial support we offer further down on this page.
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Pharmacist Support provided me with support in a compassionate and respectful manner at a time when I was struggling financially. Their help has made a huge difference to my situation both financially and emotionally.Financial Assistance beneficiary
Grants for Essential Living Expenses and grants for one-off costs
Grants for Essential Living Expenses and grants for one off costs
We aim to empower individuals to improve their financial wellbeing. Our charity takes a holistic approach to support, considering all the relevant services that may help you. Through our partnership with Citizens Advice Manchester we can provide quick referrals to specialist advisers for confidential advice on benefits and debt.
Check out our Specialist Advice Service
Our grants offer one-off financial assistance or longer-term support for those struggling to meet their essential daily living expenses. They are available to pharmacists, former pharmacists, and their dependents, trainee pharmacists and pharmacy students. Before applying, please check our full Eligibility Criteria to ensure you meet the requirements.
Read our full eligibility criteria
Grants for pharmacists
Having a professional career doesn’t make you immune to money worries – and all the stress that can bring. Pharmacists experiencing financial difficulty can apply for our Essential Living Expenses Grant with support available up to a maximum of £6,000. Please see below for grant eligibility and how to apply.
Grants for trainees
Trainees facing unexpected financial difficulties during their GPhC approved placement, or whilst waiting to sit the assessment can apply for our Essential Living Expenses Grant up to £3,000 (Evidence of application to sit the exam is required). Please see below for grant eligibility and how to apply.
Grants for students
Managing finances as a student can be challenging, especially when unexpected circumstances arise. Students can apply for up to a maximum of £1,500 per academic year to cover essential living expenses. Applicants must be
- enrolled full time and actively attending university as we do not pay grants to students over the summer break.
- experiencing financial difficulties due to unforeseen circumstances.
Please see below for grant eligibility and how to apply.
Eligibility for a grant and how to apply
What can the Essential Living Expenses grant be used for?
We can consider helping with essential costs such as:
- Financial support for essential daily living expenses (such as bills, food, travel costs, rent costs) due to unexpected temporary income loss following illness or suspension from the GPhC register.
- help towards an unexpected one-off essential cost such as essential household appliances/household appliance repairs
- disability equipment
- nursing/residential care costs,
- or other unplanned issues.
What can the Essential Living Expenses grants not be used for?
Pharmacist Support does not generally provide financial help for costs including:
- legal costs (including visa costs)
- tax arrears
- Major household repairs/renovations (beyond remedying a particular issue to the fabric of the building) such as replacement windows, roofs, new bathrooms, or kitchens
- university tuition fees.
Please see our eligibility criteria for the full list of exclusions Eligibility Criteria
Do savings affect eligibility?
Yes – applicants with total household savings (applicant/spouse/partner only) of more than £6,000 (including money, stocks, shares, savings and second homes over the previous 90 days) are not eligible for this grant.
How to apply for the Essential Living Expenses Grant
Accessing Financial Assistance through Pharmacist Support is straight forward. All you need to do is:
- Check eligibility criteria thoroughly
- Register on our secure online Grants Portal (below) and complete each section step-by-step (this includes uploading supporting documentation)
- We will check your eligibility and if supporting materials are missing or we need further information to assess your application, we will contact you
- We aim to process your application and notify you of the outcome within three weeks.
NOTE If we identify a need for benefits or debt advice, you must access our Specialist Advice Service before receiving a grant. It would be helpful for the processing of your grant application form if, prior to applying, you have already checked and applied for all benefit entitlement that you, and the household if applicable, are eligible to receive.
Any grant provided by the Charity is done so at the discretion of the Charity’s Trustees and there is no statutory or other right for an individual to receive a grant.
Go to the online grants portal
Contact us directly
If you are having difficulty using the online grants portal or if you need help filling in the application form, please email [email protected] for further assistance.
Urgent Support Grant
Urgent Support Grant (Pharmacists only)
We understand that unexpected financial burdens can create stress and uncertainty. Our Urgent Support Grant provides up to £300 for pharmacists facing an urgent one-off unexpected cost for essential item(s) that the applicant is not able to meet. The purpose of the grant and its easy application process is to provide prompt consideration of financial support to alleviate the stress of an unexpected essential cost which may impact wellbeing.
Please check our full eligibility criteria before applying Eligibility Criteria
Key features of the Urgent Support Grant
- Quick access to alleviate financial stress
- Not means tested – no financial evidence is required.
- One application per 12-month period (maximum three Urgent Support grants can be considered within a five-year period)
- Evidence/receipts required for your purchase.
Important: We reserve the right to remove the Urgent Support Grant at any time.
What can this grant be used for?
This grant is for an essential item(s) needed for daily life – for example:
- Essential household appliances/household appliance repair
- Essential car repairs
- A necessary piece of furniture (eg. a bed)
- School uniforms
- Urgent essential plumbing repairs
What can’t the grant be used for?
- Debt repayments (including to family and friends)
- Non-essential items such as birthday gifts or cosmetic procedures
- Household bills (including mortgage and rent)
- Items already purchased.
- GPhC fees – requests for help with GPhC fees, and other related professional fees, must be applied for using the Essential Living Expenses grant.
How to apply for an Urgent Support Grant
To apply for an Urgent Support Grant, please complete the form below. We will consider your application and get back to you within five working days.
Our Urgent Support Grant grants are for one-off costs over £300 or longer-term support if necessary to help people struggling to meet their essential daily living expenses
We understand how financial difficulties can impact mental health and wellbeing. Whether it’s managing the everyday or an unexpected change to your situation, getting help with financial difficulties early on could help to stop things spiralling out of control. Our financial support is here to provide a safety net and to help you get back on track.
Students going into their final year of study can apply for a charitable bursary
We understand how financial difficulties can impact mental health and wellbeing. Whether it’s managing the everyday or an unexpected change to your situation, getting help with financial difficulties early on could help to stop things spiralling out of control. Our financial support is here to provide a safety net and to help you get back on track.
Pharmacist Support’s Student Bursary Scheme
Once a year the charity opens its bursary scheme to all fully accredited pharmacy schools in Great Britain.
3rd year (or 4th year if undertaking a 5 year sandwich degree) MPharm students facing unexpected financial difficulty can apply and successful applicants can receive a bursary of either £3,000 or £5,000.
To apply:
- You must have experienced an unexpected significant challenge(s)/event(s) that has impacted you personally and affected you financially
- You can demonstrate that the bursary would support you to complete your final year of study.
Find out more about our bursary scheme
Further financial support
We also have lots of information on our website about how to find alternative funding. Additionally, our Specialist Advice service may be able to support you to manage debts and secure benefits entitlement. If you are unsure whether an application for financial assistance is the best route, you can contact us to find out about what other support might be available.
Additional help with financial difficulties, further support and information can be found in the finances area of our website.Go to the finances area
More financial information can be found in our Trainee Experience area of our website.Go to the Trainee Experience area
More financial information can be found in our Student Experience area of our website.Go to the Student Experience area
This page was reviewed and updated March 2025
