
Universal Credit
How to claim & what you can get
Universal credit is a monthly benefit to support those on low incomes (or no income) with living and housing costs. It replaces six benefits – including housing benefit and working tax credit. If you need help with housing and living expenses, you can no longer apply for any of the six 'legacy benefits' – instead you'll need to apply for universal credit. See our Universal Credit and Benefits Calculator to see how much you could get.
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Universal Credit and coronavirus
In response to the coronavirus crisis, the Government has made changes to universal credit, including upping the monthly standard rate – eg, from £317.82 to £409.89 for single people aged 25 or over. It's also removed the 'minimum income floor', to help self-employed people whose income has fallen, and increased the allowance for private renters who need help with housing costs.
There's also other help available
Universal credit is one of the key benefits offered to those on low incomes or out of work but there are many other benefits available – for example jobseeker's allowance, pension credit and council tax reduction. You can find out more and check if you're eligible in our 10-minute Benefits Check guide.
Need urgent help with bills? There's more available around mortgages, credit cards, utility costs, insurance and more. For details on what financial help is available, including payment holidays, see our Coronavirus Finance & Bills Help guide.
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What is universal credit?
Universal credit is a monthly benefit for people who are out of work or on low incomes. It replaces six means-tested benefits, often referred to as 'legacy benefits'. All new claimants will go straight onto universal credit, and eventually everyone currently in the old system will be switched over or "migrated" to universal credit. Right now, this process has been temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
The six legacy benefits that universal credit replaces are:
Warning: NEVER give out your personal details when contacted out of the blue.
Scammers are targeting people on benefits by offering to 'help' them apply for interest-free Government loans. But once the scammer has your personal details, they're used to apply for universal credit, and big advanced payments. You could see your existing benefits stopped and be made responsible for repaying hefty amounts.
For more on avoiding scams, see our Stop Scams guide.
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Can I get universal credit?
If you're unemployed, been made redundant, off work due to sickness, or on a low income, you could be eligible for universal credit to help you meet your basic living costs. You could work for an employer, be self-employed, have been recently furloughed or made redundant, or have had a reduction in wages, and still apply.
It is quick and easy to check if you're likely to get universal credit, and how much. Just use our 10-minute Benefits Calculator.
You might be able to claim universal credit if:
- You're out of work or on a low income.
- You've been made redundant.
- You're aged 18 or over (there are some exceptions if you're 16 or 17).
- You or your partner are under state pension age.
- You have less than £16,000 in savings – if you have a partner, their savings count too (if you're self-employed, some savings may not count if they're for business purposes, eg, tax. Full what counts info is below).
- You live in the UK.
- You currently receive any of the benefits that universal credit is replacing – eg, working tax credits, child tax credit, income support, housing benefit – and your circumstances change.
Quick questions
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How much can I get?
UNIVERSAL CREDIT STANDARD ALLOWANCE Your circumstances Monthly standard allowance Single and under 25
£342.72
Single and 25 or over
£409.89
In a couple and both under 25
£488.59 per couple
In a couple and either of you is 25 or over
£594.04 per couple
In addition, universal credit offers some people extra help. This is for:
- Housing costs – for rent, but mortgage-holders can apply for a 'support for mortgage interest' loan
- If you care for children
- If you have a sickness or disability that prevents you from working
- If you have other caring responsibilities
Don't forget it's quick and simple to see how much you could get with our 10-minute Benefits Calculator.
Quick questions
Your amount will reduce if you have income or savings
This will include:
Other things that might affect your payment
Your final universal credit entitlement is then worked out using anything else that could affect you.
- This could include any sanctions (when your benefits are stopped for a set period of time) or over/underpayments of benefits.
- It'll also take into account the benefits cap. This is the total amount of benefits (some are excluded) your household can receive in a year. In London, this is up to £23,000 for couples and families (£15,410 for single people without children), while outside of London, it's up to £20,000 (£13,400 for single people without children).
Of course, the easiest way to work out how much you'll get is to use our Universal Credit and Benefits Calculator, which will also inform you what other benefits you may be eligible for.
We've some examples for how this may work in practice below, but it's important to remember that it all depends on your personal circumstances and your earnings.
When will I be paid?
All payment dates are individual, as they're based on when someone's applied. For example:
Sarah applies for universal credit on 1 September. Her first assessment period will last until 30 September. She's paid on 7 October and will be paid on the 7th of every month after that.
If you're in a couple living together, you'll get one payment into one account for your household. If you're concerned you won't get access to this money, you should contact the universal credit helpline on (freephone) 0800 328 5644. You can get an alternative payment arrangement to receive split payments.
You're usually paid once a month, but there are some regional differences to this.
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You'll have to wait at least five weeks for your first payment – here's what help you can get
Universal credit is paid after an assessment, so even when all is working fine, you won't get your first payment until about five weeks after making your claim – this includes a four-week assessment period and up to seven days for your payment to reach your bank account at the end.
You can request an advance payment while you wait
If you don't have enough money to live on while you wait for your first payment, there is help you can get. You can request an advance payment through your online universal credit account, or through your work coach.
If you need help applying, call the free universal credit helpline: 0800 328 5644.
You may receive all or part of your first payment. It's interest-free but works like a loan, and you'll repay it through your regular universal credit payments, which will be lower until you pay it back. You can choose over how many months you want to pay it back, but it must be fully repaid within 12 months.
You'll usually be told the same day if you'll get an advance, and you'll typically have the money within three working days.
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How to claim universal credit
If you fit the criteria, you can claim universal credit online. In most instances you must make your claim online, so ask friends and family for help if you need to.
You can contact the free universal credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 if you run into difficulties, or if you need to make a claim in an alternative format such as Braille, large print or audio CD. For Welsh language applications, call 0800 012 1888.
You'll be asked a few questions to ensure you meet the basic criteria before being taken to the main claim page.
Citizens Advice also assists universal credit applicants.
Quick questions
If your application's successful, you'll have an interview at your Jobcentre
After a successful online claim, you'd ordinarily have to visit the Jobcentre and have an interview with your work coach if you want to claim universal credit. However, all face-to-face interviews have been suspended due to coronavirus. Instead, you'll be required to attend a telephone interview.
If you don't attend this interview, you won't be eligible for universal credit.
You'll have to sign a 'claimant commitment' to receive your universal credit entitlement.
This is an agreement that, if asked, you'll do a certain amount of work-related tasks each week, such as going to interviews at the Jobcentre, writing your CV or applying for jobs. Right now, all work-related tasks have been suspended from people's claimant commitments.
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What to do if you're struggling financially after universal credit payments have started
If you're already receiving universal credit and you're struggling, there's additional help. Depending on your circumstances, what's available is:
- A budgeting advance
- A hardship payment
- Support from foodbanks and charities
If you're having difficulties, or you've fallen into rental arrears, you can ask for an 'alternative payment arrangement'. You could get one to:
- Have your rent paid directly to your landlord
- Get paid more often than once a month. Payments may be made twice or four times a month
- Split payments if you're part of a couple
It's important to note that asking for any of these changes does NOT guarantee you'll get them. You need to prove that you've a need for the changes to be made – eg, split payments are only offered in special circumstances. It's worth asking if you're struggling and think this can help.
How the extra help works
Charity help for debt advice and mental health
There's a number of charities that can help you if you're struggling with debt because of universal credit, or if it has affected your mental health.
- StepChange is a debt charity that can help by offering expert advice.
- National Debtline helps with debt advice.
- Mind helps with mental health and money worries. You can speak to its staff directly on 0300 123 3393 (please note you'll be charged at a local rate if calling from a landline) or info@mind.org.uk, or you can see its list of recommended resources where you can get help.
- The Samaritans can offer advice and support for when you're feeling trapped and finding it difficult to see a way forward – you can call it on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
- Mental Health & Money Advice also offers an extensive list of other organisations you can contact. It's divided into mental health resources and money issues resources.
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What to do if you think you're not getting the right amount of universal credit
Whether you think your initial entitlement is wrong, or if your entitlement is changed after you start claiming, firstly, contact the universal credit helpline on 0800 328 5644. If a mistake has been made, it should be rectified while you're on the phone.
If this isn't the case, you can appeal against the decision by asking for a 'mandatory reconsideration'. You must do this within one month of the date of your initial entitlement decision. See more info on making a mandatory reconsideration. If you do decide to appeal, make sure you gather supporting evidence before you do so.
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Help if your universal credit gets cut unfairly
If you fail to keep to your agreed claimant commitments you could get sanctioned, which is where your benefits get cut. Sanctions can last from a week to up to three years (the average is 31 days), so this can be incredibly damaging to your finances and welfare.
If your benefits have been unfairly cut, here's what you can do:
- As above, you can appeal against the sanction decision with the DWP using a process called 'mandatory reconsideration'.
- To prepare yourself for this appeal, Citizens Advice has a list of arguments you can use to challenge a sanction.
- It also has guidance on checking you've actually received the correct sanction for your circumstances.
- If you receive council tax reduction (also called 'council tax support') and get a sanction, contact your council immediately. It'll tell you what to do to continue getting support.
Avoid getting repeat cuts
Sanctions can be more severe if you've been previously sanctioned. Here are some tips on helping you avoid being sanctioned again.
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Where can I find more information?
If you have questions on universal credit that aren't answered here, many other organisations and charities offer guidance and advice. Here are just a few that you may find useful, and please let us know in our forum discussion thread if you find any others that help you.
- Turn2Us: Help with benefits, searching for grants and accessing support services.
- Entitledto: As well as providing free benefits calculators, it has tons of guidance on benefits.
- Citizens Advice: Guidance for all aspects of universal credit.
- Gingerbread: Primarily aimed at single parent families.
- Christians Against Poverty: Help with debt, finding work and free courses to get control of your finances.
- Turn2Us: Help with benefits, searching for grants and accessing support services.
This is the latest incarnation of this guide. Please give us feedback, suggest improvements and share your tips in the universal credit forum thread.
Thanks to Wendy Alcock of Entitledto for fact-checking the guide.


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