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How much can be taken from your Universal Credit payments

Your Universal Credit payment is worked out at the end of each Assessment Period. Your Universal Credit online account will show a breakdown of each deduction taken from your Universal Credit payments.

How much can be taken from your payments

The most that can be taken from your Universal Credit payments each month is 25 per cent of your Universal Credit Standard Allowance (the basic amount of Universal Credit you are entitled to, before extra money for things like childcare and housing costs is added) unless last resort deductions are being taken. 

In this case, your deductions may be more than 25 per cent of your Standard Allowance.

If you are part of a joint claim for Universal Credit, you and your partner will receive a joint Universal Credit payment for your household, paid twice a month.

If you or your partner have debts or deductions, these will be taken from your Universal Credit payments before you get them.

Reducing your deductions because of financial hardship

If you do not have enough money to live on because of deductions from your Universal Credit payments, you can ask for a ‘financial hardship decision’ to reduce your deductions.

A financial hardship decision will be considered if deductions are being taken from your Universal Credit payments for:

  • repaying Tax Credit overpayments
  • paying off benefit debt
  • repaying a Social Fund loan

If a decision is made to reduce your deductions, the new reduced deductions will apply from the start of your next Universal Credit assessment period.

When you are earning enough money again, your deductions will go back up to the normal amount.

Consideration can also be given to deferring the recovery of a Universal Credit advance for 3 months.

Deductions taken first

If your total deductions would be more than 25 per cent of your Universal Credit Standard Allowance, deductions will be made in the following order of priority

  • fraud penalties
  • sanctions
  •  Universal Credit advance loan after a new claim or change of circumstances
  •  Universal Credit advance loan after transferring from another benefit
  •  budgeting advance loan

Any other deductions will be taken in the following order of priority

  • housing costs
  • rent or service charges included in rent (at five per cent of your standard allowance)
  • fuel arrears (gas and /or electricity)
  • rates arrears
  • fines and compensation orders
  • water charges arrears
  • child maintenance
  • social fund loans
  • hardship payments
  • housing benefit and Department for Communities administrative penalties
  • housing benefit, tax credit and Department for Communities fraud overpayments
  • housing benefit, tax credit and Department for Communities normal overpayments
  • integration loan arrears

If a new debt is a higher priority than an existing one, Universal Credit can stop one deduction and set up a new one.

 
  • Contacting 08 and 03 numbers
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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

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