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  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 unemployed

You can get Universal Credit if you are over 18, under State Pension age and unemployed or on a low income.

If you have been made redundant

If you have been made redundant from your job, information on support and benefits is available at Redundancy and looking for work.  Your local Jobs & Benefits Office will also provide support and advice.

 

New style Jobseekers Allowance

Universal Credit replaced Jobseeker’s Allowance. However, if you have been credited with enough National Insurance contributions, you may be entitled to New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance. Your partner’s income and savings won’t affect how much you’re paid.

You can get New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance for up to 182 days. Depending on your circumstances, it can be claimed on its own or at the same time as Universal Credit.

You can get further information on New Style JSA or you can speak with your Work Coach.

Universal Credit if you're unemployed

To get Universal Credit you must do everything you can to find work or increase your earnings. Universal Credit aims to make sure you are better off in work than on benefits and gives you the support you need to prepare for work, start work or increase your earnings.

There is no limit to the number of hours you can work in a week if you get Universal Credit. Your Universal Credit payments will reduce as you earn more.  This lets you take temporary or seasonal jobs without having to make a new claim.

Universal Credit includes support for the cost of housing, children and childcare, as well as support if you are disabled and for carers and people who are too ill to work.

The basic amount of Universal Credit is called the Standard Allowance which is an amount for you, or you and a partner.  Depending on your circumstances, you may get an additional amount of Universal Credit if you have children, if you pay for childcare or a payment to help cover housing costs. 

Additional amounts are also available for people who cannot be expected to work because of a disability or health condition, or because they provide a significant amount of care to someone with a disability.

Your Commitment

To get Universal Credit you will need to agree your Commitment through your online account.  Your Commitment sets out what you need to do to prepare for work, look for work or increase your earnings.

You will regularly discuss and update your Commitment with your Work Coach and you will need to agree the Commitment each time to keep getting Universal Credit.

The actions set out in your Commitment will depend on things like your health, your responsibilities at home and how much help you need to start working or increase your income.

Looking for work

To get Universal Credit, you will need to look for and prepare for work.

Work search actions could include:

  • registering with job search websites or recruitment agencies
  • searching for jobs on the internet and newspapers
  • attending jobs fairs
  • applying for jobs

Further information is available

  • JobApplyNI
  • Looking for work
  • Jobs and skills

Preparing for work

Work preparation actions could include:

  • preparing a CV
  • attending and completing a training course
  • completing a free essential skills course to improve your reading, writing, maths or IT skills

More information on preparing CV's, training courses and free essential skill courses is available.

Volunteering

You can volunteer while you are receiving benefits provided the work you do is unpaid and you meet the rules of your benefit.

If you get Universal Credit, the voluntary work or activity agreed in your commitment can count towards your work search requirement. The time agreed can be up to 50 per cent of your expected number of hours per week for work search.

You can get further information on Volunteering while on benefit or you can contact Volunteer Now.

How your work coach can help if you're unemployed

It is important that you keep in contact with your Work Coach through your Universal Credit journal and let them know if your situation changes to make sure you keep getting the right amount of Universal Credit.

Your Work Coach will contact you by telephone to discuss what activities you can do to help you move into employment, and to offer support to help you prepare for work and to get a job.

Your Work Coach will also provide information on other financial support and advice available. Further information is available on Financial Support and extra help with getting into work.

You can watch the Universal Credit Guide on what your Universal Credit work coach or case manager do

Watch this video guide with British sign language

Watch this video guide with Irish sign language

Help and Support

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

  • AdviceNI
  • Housing Rights
  • Money Helper

More useful links

  • Support if you're employed or looking for work
  • Finance Support
  • Managing money
  • Employers for Childcare
  • Adviser Discretion Fund (ADF)
  • Cost of Living Payments
  • 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.

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For queries about:

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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.

 

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

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