Introduction
Advice
Universal Credit combined and replaced the following benefits:
- Child Tax Credit;
- Housing Benefit;
- Income Support;
- Income-based Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA);
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA); and
- Working Tax Credit.
Am I eligible?
You may be eligible for Universal Credit if:
- You have a low income;
- You are 18 or over (there are some exceptions for those aged under 18);
- You or your partner are under State Pension age (60);
- You and your partner have less than £16000 in savings combined; and
- You live in the UK.
If you are 16 or 17, you may be eligible for U.C if:
- You have limited capacity for work, or you are waiting for a Work Capacity Assessment with medical evidence;
- You are the carer of a severely disabled person;
- You are responsible for a child;
- You and your partner have responsibility for a child, and your partner is eligible for U.C;
- You are pregnant, and your expected week of childbirth is in less than 11 weeks away;
- You have had a child within the last 15 weeks; or
- You do not have parental support (e.g., estrangement).
If you are 18 or over and in training or full-time education, you may eligible if:
- You live with your partner, and they are eligible for Universal Credit;
- You are responsible for a child;
- You are entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and have limited capacity for work; or
- You are in further education and do not have parental support.
If you are in a couple and one of you has reached State Pension age (60), you can both continue your claims to U.C, however, when you both reach State Pension age, your claims will stop. You may however be eligible for Pension Credit instead. If you are terminally ill, you may be entitled to a higher amount. If applying for a new claim, this should be reported as part of your application. If you are already claiming U.C, your illness should be reported as a change of circumstances.
Alternatives to Universal Credit
If you would like to explore other or alternative means of financial support to U.C, you may consider:
- Hardship payments, you may be eligible for these if you cannot pay for food, utilities or rent because of a sanction.
- Alternative Payment Arrangements (APA), you or your landlord may be able to apply for this if you are experiencing financial difficulties or are behind on your rent.
- Budgeting Advance, you may be eligible to help with emergency household costs, funeral costs, clothing or travel for a job interview etc. These will be repaid through deductions to your standard Universal Credit payments. Rates as of June 2021 mean that you may claim up to £348 if you are single, £464 as part of a couple and £812 if you have a child (rates as of June 2021).
We recommend using one of the following calculators to check your eligibility and the amount that you should expect from Universal Credit. You can find out your eligibility as well as the amount you would be expected to earn through the following calculators