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  • 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

    Universal Credit if you're claiming other benefits

    If you get an existing benefit, you should not do anything until you get a letter telling you it is time to make a claim to Universal Credit.

    When you claim Universal Credit, any benefits it replaces will stop. If you are considering a move to Universal Credit from another benefit, check your eligibility and seek independent advice before making your claim. You can also use a benefit calculator to check how much you may get.

    Benefits Universal Credit is replacing 

    Universal Credit is replacing:

    • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
    • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
    • Income Support
    • Housing Benefit – excluding payments for rates 

    Universal Credit has already replaced Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

    If you currently get one of these benefits and your circumstances change, you must report the change as soon as possible.

    If your circumstances change you may need to move to Universal Credit and your existing benefits will stop.

    If you move directly to Universal Credit from one of the benefits listed above, you’ll be entitled to an extra two-week payment of the benefit you move from.

    The extra two-week payment is known as a run-on. You will not need to pay these back and they will not affect how much Universal Credit you get. 

    If your circumstances do not change, you do not need to do anything. You will be told what to do when it is time for you to move to Universal Credit.

    Financial support until you get your Universal Credit payments

    There are a few ways to get financial help while you are waiting on your first Universal Credit payment.

    For more details go to: Help while waiting for a Universal Credit payment

    How Universal Credit affects your Jobseeker’s Allowance

    If a change in your circumstances means you are no longer entitled to Jobseeker’s Allowance you may claim for Universal Credit. You will keep getting Jobseeker's Allowance for two weeks after you make your claim for Universal Credit. Your Jobseeker's Allowance will then stop.

    New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (previously known as contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance) can be paid on its own or at the same time as Universal Credit.

    Your Jobseeker’s Allowance may stop being paid before you get your first Universal Credit payment. If this happens, you may be able to get Financial Support until you get your Universal Credit payments.

    How Universal Credit affects Employment and Support Allowance

    If a change in your circumstances means you are no longer entitled to Employment and Support Allowance you may claim for Universal Credit. You will keep getting Employment and Support Allowance for two weeks after you make your claim for Universal Credit.

    New Style Employment and Support Allowance (previously known as contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance) can be paid on its own or at the same time as Universal Credit.

    Your Employment and Support Allowance may stop being paid before you get your first Universal Credit payment. If this happens, you may be able to get Financial Support until you get your Universal Credit payments.

    How Universal Credit affects your Income Support

    If a change in your circumstances means you are no longer entitled to Income Support you may claim for Universal Credit. You will keep getting Income Support for two weeks after you make your claim for Universal Credit.

    Your Income Support may stop being paid before you get your first Universal Credit payment. If this happens, you may be able to get Financial Support until you get your Universal Credit payments.

    How Universal Credit affects your Housing Benefit

    If you are getting Housing Benefit when you claim Universal Credit, you will keep getting Housing Benefit for two weeks after you make your claim for Universal Credit. Your Housing Benefit will normally then stop.

    If your Housing Benefit includes money for your rates, this will stop when you claim Universal Credit. Find out more including how to claim a Rate Rebate at Universal Credit payments for housing.

    Housing Benefit may stop being paid before you get your first Universal Credit payment. If this happens, you may be able to get Financial Support until you get your Universal Credit payments.

    Welfare Supplementary Payments if you're on Universal Credit

    Welfare Supplementary Payments are payments to help you cope with welfare changes, including if you move to Universal Credit.

    Contact the Welfare Supplementary Payments Team to check if you are eligible.

    If you already get a Welfare Supplementary Payment and one of the following still affects you after you move to Universal Credit, you can still get this payment:

    • bedroom tax - social sector size criteria
    • benefit cap
    • other Welfare Supplementary Payments

    You will not usually need to do anything.

    If you have queries on the payment contact Universal Credit Service Centre or via your journal.

    Find out more on support if you are affected by Welfare Changes

    Help and support

    If you would like independent help and advice on Universal Credit, or any of the other welfare changes, you can visit any independent advice office or contact:

    • AdviceNI
    • Housing Rights
    • Money Helper

    More useful links

    • Adviser Discretion Fund (ADF)
    • Finance Support
    • Help with health costs
    • School uniform grants
    • Nutrition and school lunches
    • Home to school transport
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    Universal Credit

    • Agree your Universal Credit Commitment
    • Business expenses you can report if you're self-employed
    • Changes you need to report to Universal Credit
    • Contact the Move to Universal Credit team
    • 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 can get ready to Move to Universal Credit
    • How you make a claim for Universal Credit
    • If your Universal Credit claim is reviewed
    • Managing your Universal Credit account
    • 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 explained — videos to help you make and manage your claim
    • Universal Credit for couples
    • Universal Credit if you have a health condition or disability
    • Universal Credit if you're claiming other benefits
    • Universal Credit if you're employed
    • Universal Credit if you're unemployed
    • Universal Credit payments for children and childcare
    • Universal Credit payments for housing
    • What is Move to Universal Credit
    • 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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    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.

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

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    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 your GRONI account, 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
       
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      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.

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