Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Benefits and money
  3. Benefits and financial support
  4. Support if you're employed or looking for work
  5. Universal Credit

Contact Universal Credit for help with your claim

How you can get help with your Universal Credit claim

Contact Universal Credit about your claim

If you need help, advice or support with your Universal Credit claim, you can use your Universal Credit online account or you can go to your local Jobs & Benefits office . You can also phone the Universal Credit Service Centre. Messages to your online account will be answered as soon as possible during business hours.

If you need an interpreter

If you need an interpreter to help you to claim Universal Credit, you can ask for this through your online account, your local Jobs & Benefits office or the Universal Credit Service Centre.

Sending medical evidence

If you have documents or medical evidence you need to post to Universal Credit, it should be sent to:
Freepost,
Universal Credit NI 
or to your nearest 
Jobs & Benefits office

COVID-19

All Jobs & Benefits offices are now open for business primarily on an appointment basis. If you arrive without an appointment you will be seen at the Welcome Desk, or an appointment will be arranged for a suitable date and time.

You will be asked to observe 1 metre social distancing, where practicable and hand sanitiser, sprays, wipes and face coverings will be available for the voluntary use of staff and visitors.

If you are asked to go to an appointment, it is important you turn up as failure to do so may affect your payments.

If you are unable to use the telephony or digital services an urgent appointment can be arranged in your local Jobs & Benefits office. To arrange an appointment contact the Jobs & Benefits office on 0300 200 7822. 

You should tell them when booking your appointment if you need interpreting support.

How Universal Credit will contact you

Universal Credit will contact you through your online account and by phone.  You will also receive text messages (SMS) or email alerts, depending on how you asked to be contacted when you set up your Universal Credit account.

Text messages (SMS) will always be clearly marked as from the Department for Communities (DfC) and will never ask you to give (or click a link to give) personal or financial details by text message or email. If you’re not sure about any text messages (SMS) you receive about Universal Credit, or you think you have received a fraudulent message, contact your local Jobs & Benefits office immediately.

If you want to change how you are contacted, you can do this through your Universal Credit online account or by phoning the Universal Credit Service Centre:

Freephone:  0800 012 1331

Textphone:  0800 012 1441 (for deaf users or those with hearing loss and users with speech and communication needs)

For more information see scamwiseni.       

If you use sign language

You can use British Sign Language (BSL) or Irish Sign Language (ISL) to contact the Universal Credit Service Centre:

To use the video relay service:

  • check that you can use the BSL video relay service
  • check that you can use the ISL video relay service 
  • contact the Universal Credit Service Centre via the video relay service
  • The interpreter will check whether you require BSL or ISL.

Information videos can help explain the key stages in claiming Universal Credit

Help and support

If you would like independent help and advice on Universal Credit or any other benefit, you can visit any independent advice office or contact the following.

  • AdviceNI
  • Housing Rights
  • Money Helper

More useful links

  • Make the call
  • Appeal a benefit decision
  • Help with health costs
  • Care and support
  • Benefits and money
  • Contacting 08 and 03 numbers
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Universal Credit

  • Agree your Universal Credit Commitment
  • Changes that may affect your Universal Credit
  • Changes you need to tell Universal Credit about
  • Contact Universal Credit for help with your claim
  • Extra help to make or maintain your Universal Credit claim
  • Find out who to contact about money taken off your Universal Credit payment
  • Frontier and cross border workers claiming Universal Credit
  • Help to find work on Universal Credit
  • Help while waiting for a Universal Credit payment
  • How much can be taken from your Universal Credit payments
  • How much Universal Credit you get and how you're paid
  • How you make a claim for Universal Credit
  • Money taken from your Universal Credit payments
  • More financial help if you get Universal Credit
  • Unable to manage your Universal Credit claim by yourself
  • Universal Credit - Sharing your information with others
  • Universal Credit if you have a health condition or disability
  • Universal Credit if you're claiming other benefits or tax credits
  • Universal Credit if you're employed
  • Universal Credit if you're self-employed
  • Universal Credit if you're unemployed
  • Universal Credit payments for children and childcare
  • Universal Credit payments for housing
  • Universal Credit reclaims
  • Universal Credit: advance payments
  • Universal Credit: two child limit
  • What to do after you have claimed Universal Credit
  • What will affect your Universal Credit payments
  • Who can claim Universal Credit
  • Who to contact if you disagree with Universal Credit's decision
  • Who to talk to about deductions from your Universal Credit
  • You want to claim Universal Credit again

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

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

What is your question about?

What to do next

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

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

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

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

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

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

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

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

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

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS