With

With Universal credit Eligibility You may be able to get Universal Credit if you’re on a low income or need help with your living costs. You could be working (including self-employed or part time) or be out of work.

Eligibility

You may be able to get Universal Credit if you’re on a low income or need help with your living costs. You could be working (including self-employed or part time) or be out of work.

To claim you must:

• live in the UK
• be aged 18 or over (there are some exceptions if you’re 16 to 17)
• be under State Pension age
• have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments

You can use a benefits calculator to check what benefits you could get.

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

You and your family might also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get Universal Credit. Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

If you live with your partner

You will both need to claim for Universal Credit. You must make a joint claim for your household, even if your partner is not eligible. How much you can get will depend on your partner’s income and savings, as well as your own.

If one of you has reached State Pension age

If only one of you has reached State Pension age, you and your partner can still claim Universal Credit as a couple.

Your Universal Credit claim will stop when you both reach State Pension age.

If you’re studying or in training

You can make a claim for Universal Credit if you’re in full-time education and any of the following apply:

• you live with your partner and they’re eligible for Universal Credit
• you’re responsible for a child, either as a single person or as a couple
• you’ve reached State Pension age and live with a partner who is below State Pension age

You can also claim Universal Credit if you’re 21 or under, studying any qualification up to A level or equivalent and do not have parental support.

You may be able to claim if you are studying part-time or doing a course for which no student loan or finance is available.

Check the guidance about claiming Universal Credit as a student.

Students with disabilities or health conditions

You can claim Universal Credit if you’re in full-time education, have limited capability for work and are entitled to any of the following:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Child Disability Payment (CDP) in Scotland
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

Claiming if you’re 16 or 17

You can make a claim for Universal Credit if any of the following apply:

• you have a health condition or disability and have medical evidence for it, such as a fit note
• you’re caring for a severely disabled person
• you’re responsible for a child
• you live with your partner, have responsibility for a child and your partner is eligible for Universal Credit
• you’re pregnant and expecting your baby in the next 11 weeks
• you’ve had a baby in the last 15 weeks
• you do not have parental support, for example you do not live with your parents and are not under local authority care

If you have a disability or health condition

If you have a health condition that affects your ability to work you might get extra money for Universal Credit.

Universal Credit

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Contents

1. What Universal Credit is
2. Eligibility
3. What you’ll get
4. How your earnings affect your payments
5. How you’re paid
6. How to claim
7. Get an advance on your first payment
8. Your responsibilities
9. Report a change of circumstances
10. Other financial support
11. Contact Universal Credit

What you’ll get

Your Universal Credit payment is made up of a standard allowance and any extra amounts that apply to you, for example if you:

• have children
• have a disability or health condition which prevents you from working
• need help paying your rent

Use a benefits calculator to see how much you could get.

How much Universal Credit you get will depend on your earnings.

Your circumstances are assessed every month. Changes in your circumstances can affect how much you’re paid for the whole assessment period – not just from the date you report them.

The benefit cap may limit the total amount of benefit you receive.

Standard allowance

Extra amounts

You may get more money on top of your standard allowance if you’re eligible.

If you have children

If you have 1 or 2 children, you’ll get an extra amount for each child.

If you have 3 or more children, you’ll get an extra amount for at least 2 children. You can only get an extra amount for more children if any of the following are true:

• your children were born before 6 April 2017
• you were already claiming for 3 or more children before 6 April 2017
• other exceptions apply

You’ll get an extra amount for any disabled or severely disabled child – no matter how many children you have or when they were born.

You might get the extra amount if you start caring for another child, depending on when they were born and how many children you have.

If you have a disability or health condition

If you get the severe disability premium you may also be entitled to an extra ‘transitional protection’ payment if you’re moving to Universal Credit.

If you care for a severely disabled person

This is on top of any extra amount you get if you have a disabled child.

Housing costs

You could get money to help pay your housing costs. How much you get depends on your age and circumstances.

The payment can cover rent and some service charges.

If you’re a homeowner, you might be able to get a loan to help with interest payments on your mortgage or other loans you’ve taken out for your home.

Other support you could get

If you receive Universal Credit you may also be able to get other financial support depending on your circumstances.