Help while waiting for a Universal Credit payment
You can get help if you do not have enough money to live on. Contact the Universal Credit Service Centre through your Universal Credit online account, or speak to your work coach at your local Jobs & Benefits office
COVID-19
All Jobs and 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.
There are a few ways to get help while you are waiting on your first Universal Credit payment:
Universal Credit Contingency Fund short term living expenses grant
A Universal Credit Contingency Fund grant payment is Financial Support which may be available if you do not have enough money to live on until you get full payment of your first Universal Credit award and need additional financial support. You will not have to pay this back.
Universal Credit Advance Loan
If you have applied for Universal Credit and do not have enough money to live on, you can apply for an Advance loan. You will have to pay this back from your Universal Credit payments.
You can also ask for an Advance if your Universal Credit payment is going to increase because of a change in your circumstances, but you have not yet got the increased amount.
How much you will get
If you are eligible to get an Advance, you may get up to 100 per cent of your estimated Universal Credit payment.
How you apply for an Advance loan
You can apply for an Advance loan by:
- speaking to your work coach in your local Jobs & Benefits office
- applying through your Universal Credit online account
Messages to your online account will be answered as soon as possible during business hours.
You can only apply for an Advance online if you have had an interview at a Jobs & Benefits office or had a home visit.
If you have made a joint claim with a partner, one of you must have had an interview at a Jobs & Benefits office or had a home visit.
If you are asked to come in to your local office for an appointment it is important that you turn up.
Repeated failure to go to a face to face appointment or to make yourself available for a telephone appointment may affect your payments.
Before you can get an Advance you’ll need to:
- provide details of your bank or building society account
- prove your identity (and your partner’s identity if you have a joint Universal Credit claim)
If you have included children in your claim, Universal Credit will also carry out a check to confirm the children in your household.
Repaying an Advance loan
When you are deciding how much you need, make sure that you can afford to pay it back.
If you can get an Advance, you will be told:
- how much you will get
- how much you will need to pay back every month
- when you will start paying the Advance back
Repayments are taken out of your Universal Credit payments.
You have up to 24 months to pay back the Advance loan. In some circumstances, repayments can be delayed for up to three months if you can’t afford them. Contact your work coach at your local Jobs & Benefits office for more information.
When a repayment amount has been set, this cannot be changed.
If you stop getting Universal Credit, Debt Management will take repayments from your other benefit payments or your wages, or through a debt collection agency. You can also contact Debt Management to arrange repayments.
Why you may not get an Advance loan
You might not get an Advance loan if you:
- will have enough money to live on until you get your Universal Credit payment
- live with your parents, relatives or friends
- will get a final wage or redundancy payment
- have any savings available
If you cannot get an Advance, you can ask Universal Credit to look at the decision again. However, you cannot appeal against the decision.
Budgeting Advance loan
If you already get Universal Credit, you may be able to get a Budgeting Advance loan to help pay emergency household costs, or to help you to get a job or stay in work. You can only get one Budgeting Advance loan at a time, even for joint claims.
A Budgeting Advance loan is to help pay for:
- things that might help you to get a job or stay in work, such as work clothes, tools, travelling expenses and childcare costs
- essential household items such as furniture, a cot, a pram, appliances, clothing and footwear
- rent or removal expenses to get a new place to live
- improvements to, maintenance of, and security measures for your home
How you can get a Budgeting Advance loan
You may be able to get a Budgeting Advance if you:
- have been getting Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for six months or more (unless you need the money to help you start a new job or keep an existing job)
- earned less than £2,600 (£3,600 jointly for couples) in the past six months
- have paid off any previous Budgeting Advance loans
How much you will get
The smallest Budgeting Advance you can get is £100. You can get up to:
- £348 if you’re single
- £464 if you’re part of a couple
- £812 if you have children
How much you can get depends on whether you:
- can pay the Advance back
- have savings over £1,000
Apply for a Budgeting Advance loan
To apply, contact the Universal Credit Service Centre through your Universal Credit online account or speak to your work coach at the local Jobs & Benefits office.
Repaying a Budgeting Advance loan
If you can get a Budgeting Advance, Universal Credit will agree with you:
- how much you will need to pay back every month
- when you will start to pay the Advance loan back
When a repayment amount has been set, this cannot be changed.
Repayments will be taken out of your Universal Credit payments.
You will have up to 12 months to pay back the Advance. In some circumstances, repayments can be delayed for up to 6 months.
If you stop getting Universal Credit, Debt Management will take repayments from your other benefit payments or your wages, or through a debt-collection agency. You can also contact Debt Management to arrange repayments.
Discretionary Support
Discretionary Support is short term financial support paid into your bank account as either an interest-free loan or a grant which you do not have to pay back.
Help with Childcare costs
If paying upfront for registered childcare is preventing you from starting work, help may be available.
You can find further information on how to claim upfront childcare costs from the Adviser Discretion Fund. You can also get help from your local Jobs and Benefits office or speak with your work coach.
Further information on support is also available at Employers for Childcare.
Information videos
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 welfare changes, contact: