How Universal Credit is paid

WHEN you receive Universal Credit (UC) you’ll usually get a single payment every month.

This will be paid directly into your bank, building society, Post Office or credit union account.

After you apply it’ll usually take five weeks to get your first payment. You can ask for an advance payment if you don’t think you’ll have enough money to live on while you wait for your first payment. After you’ve got your first payment, you’ll be paid monthly on the same day as the first payment.

When leaving work and claiming UC you might be better off delaying your claim until you’ve received your last wages from work. This is because the more income you have in an assessment period, the less UC you’ll get.

When you should make a claim for Universal Credit depends on your circumstances – Your local Citizens Advice will be able to do a better off calculation to help you decide what’s best for you. Once you know the best date, you should apply as soon as possible. This will reduce the effect of the five-week wait for your first payment.

Some of your UC will be for your housing costs – If you rent you’ll usually be expected to pay this directly to your landlord yourself. If you have a mortgage, the money for housing costs will be paid directly to your mortgage lender.

If you’re already on Housing Benefit when you apply for UC, you’ll still get Housing Benefit for two weeks after you submit your claim. You won’t need to pay this back.

If you think your rent or mortgage payment will be late because you’re waiting for your UC payment, you should talk to your landlord or mortgage lender. They might agree to wait for payment if you explain the situation to them.

If you’re in debt or behind with your rent payments, you can ask for an “alternative payment arrangement”.

This means you’ll get paid differently from usual. If you are in this situation you should talk to your local Citizens Advice.

If you are late claiming, you can apply to get a UC payment to cover up to one month before you started your claim – this is called ‘backdating’.

You’ll need a good reason for not claiming earlier - if you’re in a couple, you’ll both need a good reason.

For example, this could be because:

Of an illness - you’ll have to show the DWP medical evidence for this

Of a disability

You weren’t told your Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was going to end

The online claims system was down, and you claimed as soon as it was working again

You’ve made a new claim as a single person after breaking up with your partner

You made a joint claim that ended because your partner didn’t accept the claimant commitment - you should now be claiming as a single person

You might not have claimed in time because the DWP told you the wrong thing.

If this happens you can complain and ask for compensation – talk to your local Citizens advice.

You can get help, information and advice from your local Citizens Advice or visit www. citizensadvicewokingham. org.uk or contact Citizens Advice Wokingham at

Second Floor, Waterford House, Erfstadt Court, Wokingham RG40 2YF. Tel: 0300 330 1189. email: public@ citizensadvicewokingham. org.uk