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  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 or tax credits

If you claim Universal Credit, any benefits or tax credits 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.

Universal Credit is replacing the following:

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

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

Changes in your circumstances may mean that you need to move to Universal Credit and your existing benefits or Tax Credits will stop.

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.

If you're considering moving to Universal Credit from another benefit

When you claim Universal Credit, any benefits or tax credits it replaces will stop.  If you are considering a move to Universal Credit from another benefit, you can check your eligibility. You should also seek independent advice before making a claim for Universal Credit. 

You can also use a benefit calculator to check how much you may get.

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.

Universal Credit Contingency Fund short term living expenses grant

A Universal Credit Contingency Fund grant is extra 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 

If you have applied for Universal Credit and do not have enough money to live on, you can apply for an advance payment. You will have to pay this back from your Universal Credit payments.  You should speak to your work coach or apply through your Universal Credit online account.

Budgeting Advance 

If you already get Universal Credit, you may be able to get a budgeting advance to help pay emergency household costs, or to help you to get a job or stay in work. You will have to pay this back from your Universal Credit payments.  You should speak to your work coach or apply through your Universal Credit online account.

Discretionary Support

Discretionary support is short term financial support paid into your bank account as either an interest free loan, which you will need to repay, or a grant which you do not have to pay back.

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 make a claim for Universal Credit. You will continue to receive Jobseeker's Allowance for an extra 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 your Employment and Support Allowance

If a change in your circumstances means you are no longer entitled to Employment and Support Allowance you may make a claim for Universal Credit. You will continue to receive Employment and Support Allowance for an extra 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 make a claim for Universal Credit. You will continue to receive Income Support for an extra 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 Tax Credits

When you claim Universal Credit, and your identity has been confirmed, your claim for Tax Credits will end.   Your Tax Credits 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 continue to receive Housing Benefit for an extra 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. You can find out more information 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 are on Universal Credit

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

If you think you may be entitled to a Welfare Supplementary Payment, contact the Welfare Supplementary Payments Team to check if you are eligible.

If you get a Welfare Supplementary Payment and move to Universal Credit, your Welfare Supplementary Payment will normally stop. Instead, most people will get an ‘administrative payment’.

You can find out more information 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
  • 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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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.

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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

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For queries about:

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    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.

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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

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