Universal Credit: what else you are entitled to

If you need free benefits advice or support in person:

Find an adviser (Advicelocal)

Find a local benefits adviser (Turn2us)

When you first claim Universal Credit, you have to wait at least 5 weeks for your first payment. You can ask for an advance payment of your first Universal Credit payment 5 days after submitting your claim.

We have more information on how Universal Credit payments work.

Understanding Universal Credit payments

If you’ve had an advance payment before, you need to pay it off before you can ask for another.

Get an advance on your first payment (GOV.UK)

Budgeting advance

This is a loan if you need to buy or pay for something specific. For example you:

• have moving costs
• have travel expenses
• need to replace broken white goods like a fridge or an oven

You pay back the loan by receiving a lower Universal Credit payment every month. This is normally over 12 months.

Getting a Universal Credit budgeting advance (Citizens Advice)

Universal Credit is normally paid once a month. But you can ask to be paid:

• twice a month
• 4 times a month

This is also called an Alternative Payment Arrangement.

Leave a note on your Universal Credit journal, explaining that you are finding it difficult to budget.

Sign in to your Universal Credit account (GOV.UK)

Alternative payment arrangements (GOV.UK)

In 2023, you may have been eligible for Cost of Living Payments. There were 3 payments if you received Universal Credit. There are no more planned for 2024 and beyond.

Eligibility for Cost of Living Payments 

If any of your payments did not arrive, you can ask for them to be backdated.

Find out how to report a missing Cost of Living Payment (GOV.UK)

Some bills need to be paid first. These priority bills include:

• rent
• mortgage
• Council Tax

There is support online to work out priority bills and manage your budget.

Budgeting tips

What our online community is saying about managing bills

You could get up to 60 days' respite from interest, fees and court action to reduce stress and give you time to deal with your debts.

Breathing Space, Debt Respite Scheme (StepChange)

Contact a debt adviser who will be able to give free advice. You could try:

• StepChange Debt Charity for free online debt advice
• Citizens Advice Web Chat with trained advisers
• Citizens Advice may have a debt specialist at your local office
• Debt Advice Foundation for practical advice on managing debt

Christians Against Poverty have caseworkers who will contact creditors on your behalf.

If your landlord is a housing association or local authority, tell them if you are struggling to pay your rent. Ask if they can offer a solution.

Ask your local authority (GOV.UK) if they have a welfare rights service that can take up your case.

Debt can be stressful, but there is help available.

Managing your mental health 

Talk to your landlord as soon as possible if you cannot pay your rent. Missing a rent payment will put you in rent arrears.

If you go into rent arrears

Dealing with rent arrears (Citizens Advice)

Your landlord can ask for your Universal Credit housing element to go to them if you are 2 months or more behind with your rent.

When housing element is paid direct to your landlord

They can also ask for your Universal Credit payments to be reduced to pay off the rent arrears. This can be up to 20% of your standard allowance.

It means you receive a smaller Universal Credit payment each month until you’ve paid off the rent arrears. If that is putting you into more debt, ask the DWP to reduce the monthly amount you have to pay off.

You can

• leave a message on your Universal Credit journal (GOV.UK)
• call the Universal Credit helpline (GOV.UK)

Explain that you are finding it difficult to manage the monthly deductions.

Help with debt

You may be eligible for a Council Tax:

• reduction (you get money off your bill)
• exemption (you do not have to pay at all)

Council Tax reduction for disabled people

Contact your local council to find out if this applies to you.

Find your local council (GOV.UK)

You might be eligible for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP), if your rent is more than your benefit and you are getting:

• the housing element of Universal Credit or
• Housing Benefit

Your local council decides who receives this, based on budgets. 

If you get DHP, you will not need to repay it.

There are places where you can get free or cheap food. 

Free food and food banks 

If you need support with energy bills, there is some support available from government and local authorities.

Government help with energy bills

Contact Scope to arrange an appointment if you would like free phone or email support.

Contact Scope’s Disability Energy Support

Help with bills and the cost of living

You can claim back 85% of your childcare costs:

• up to £1,014.63 a month if you have one child
• up to £1,739.37 a month if you have 2 or more children
• until 31 August after your child’s 16^th birthday

You and your partner, if you live with them, need:

• to be working or
• have a job offer

There are exceptions to this if your partner is:

• in the limited capability for work or limited capability for work-related activity group
• a carer and eligible for Carer’s Allowance

Universal Credit and childcare (GOV.UK)

Check what help you could get with childcare costs (GOV.UK)

Free school meals and breakfast clubs

Your child or children will be eligible if:

• you receive Universal Credit and
• your household income is less than £7,400 a year

This must be after tax (not including benefits).

Apply for free school meals in England (GOV.UK)

Check if your child is eligible for free school meals in Wales (gov.wales)

Healthy Start scheme

The NHS Healthy Start scheme can help you buy food, milk and vitamins. You need to:

• be more than 10 weeks pregnant or
• have a child under 4

If you are eligible, you receive a payment card to use in some shops.

Healthy Start (NHS)

Many broadband and phone providers offer a ‘social tariff’ if you claim Universal Credit. This means you pay less. If your provider does not offer this, you can switch to a company that does.

Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages (Ofcom)

Free NHS prescriptions and dental care

Check if you are eligible for free:

• prescriptions
• eye tests
• dental treatment 

Free NHS dentist treatment

To be eligible, in the last Universal Credit assessment period or month, your earnings need to be:

• less than £450 if you are in the fit for work group
• less than £900 if you are in the limited capability for work or limited capability for work-related activity groups

Help with health costs for people getting Universal Credit (GOV.UK)

If you need disability equipment to help you live more independently, you should be able to get it from your local council for free. This includes a wheelchair or disability aids.

How to get disability equipment and assistive technology

There may also be grants or financial support. It will depend on your situation.

Disability grants

How to get a wheelchair

Furniture and white goods

Your council may have a grant scheme to help you buy white goods, like fridges and washing machines.

Find your local council (GOV.UK)

End Furniture Poverty is a charity that can help you get free furniture from your local council.

End Furniture Poverty

You could try local second-hand sharing groups, such as:

• Freegle
• Freecycle

There may also be free sharing groups for your area on Facebook.

You could get half price train and bus travel with a JobCentre Plus Travel Discount Card (National Rail). To see if you are eligible:

• leave a message on your Universal Credit journal (GOV.UK) 
• call the Universal Credit helpline (GOV.UK) 

You may also be able to get disability discounts for days out and travel.

Transport for disabled people

If something in your life has changed, it could mean that you are no longer eligible for Universal Credit. This will change what else you are entitled to.

It’s important to tell the DWP if you have a change of circumstances. These can include:

• changes to your health condition
• your rent going up or down
• moving in with your partner

Change of circumstances on Universal Credit

You can report a change of circumstances by:

• leaving a note on your Universal Credit online journal (GOV.UK) or
• calling the Universal Credit helpline (GOV.UK)