Benefits and help when going back to work

When you return to work after being on benefit, some of your benefits will carry on for a short while. Find out more, including the benefits and support you may be able to get once you're working.

Universal Credit

You may still be able to claim Universal Credit if you and/or your partner are employed. The amount you can get depends on your circumstances, including your income and how many children you have.

A benefits calculator can help you check if you can get Universal Credit or other benefits.

Help with housing costs

If you were getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan while you were out of work, you may carry on getting this. This is if you have been getting income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support for at least 26 weeks continuously before starting work. You may then continue to get the following benefit or loan for up to four weeks:

If you're on a low wage and your housing costs are below a certain level, you may continue to get Housing Benefit after this time.

If you are a homeowner and have to reclaim benefit you may not have to wait until you get help again with your mortgage costs. Contact your Jobs and Benefits Office to find out more.

Tax credits

A tax credit is a payment that you receive regularly. Despite the name, it isn't a credit against your tax bill.

If you've got children you could get tax credits, but you don't need to have children to claim. You may also qualify if you are working and on a low income.

If you work and pay childcare you may be able to get extra tax credits to help with the costs.

Travel to Interview Scheme

If you’re unemployed or under written notice of redundancy, the Travel to Interview Scheme may help you with the cost of travelling to job interviews.

Shortened claim process for Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance

If your Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance claim ended less than 26 weeks ago and there has been no change to your circumstances your claim to benefits may be simpler and shorter.

To make a claim for Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support contact your local Jobs and Benefits office.

The following are not considered as a change of circumstances:

  • you or someone you are claiming for is now pregnant
  • tax credits have been claimed or awarded

More useful links

More in this section

Share this page

What do you want to do?
What is your question about?
Do you want a reply?
Your email address
To reply to you, we need your email address
Your feedback

We will not reply to your feedback.  Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

This feedback form is for issues with the nidirect website only.

You can use it to report a problem or suggest an improvement to a webpage.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly as we don’t have access to information about you held by government departments.

You must be aged 13 years or older - if you’re younger, ask someone with parental responsibility to send the feedback for you.

The nidirect privacy notice applies to any information you send on this feedback form.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

Plain text only, 750 characters maximum.
Plain text only, 750 characters maximum.

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

What to do next

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

What to do next

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

What to do next

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

What to do next

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

What to do next

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

What to do next

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

What to do next

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

What to do next

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

What to do next

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

What to do next

For queries about:

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

What to do next

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

What to do next

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

What to do next

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

What to do next

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

What to do next

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

What to do next

For queries or advice about rates, email:
rating@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about property valuation, email:
valuation@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about land registry, email:
CustomerInformation.LandRegistration@finance-ni.gov.uk

For mapping queries, email:
Mapping.Helpdesk@finance-ni.gov.uk

What to do next

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.