Universal Credit (UC) is a payment to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you are on a low income, out of work or cannot work. This guide explains who can claim, what you can get, how to claim and what to do if your claim is refused or cut.
Key points
✓Universal Credit is replacing Housing Benefit and income-related Employment and Support Allowance, and you stop getting those when you or your partner claim UC.
✓How much you get depends on your standard allowance, any extra amounts that apply to you, any money taken off your payment and, if you are working, how much you earn.
✓For every £1 you earn from working, your payment goes down by 55p. You can earn a set amount first only if you or your partner are responsible for a child or have a health condition or disability that affects your ability to work.
✓It usually takes around 5 weeks to get your first payment, and you can apply for an advance while you wait.
✓If you disagree with a decision you can ask for mandatory reconsideration, then appeal to the tribunal. In April to June 2026, 45% of Universal Credit decisions cleared at a tribunal hearing were overturned in the claimant's favour.
Who can claim Universal Credit?
You may be able to get Universal Credit if you are on a low income or need help with your living costs, whether you are out of work, working (including self-employed or part time) or unable to work. To claim you must:
✓Yes: Live in the UK
✓Yes: Be aged 18 or over, with some exceptions if you are 16 to 17
✓Yes: Be under State Pension age
✓Yes: Have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments
If you live with your partner you will both need to claim Universal Credit. You must make a joint claim for your household, even if your partner is not eligible.
If you are in full-time education you can still claim in some cases, for example if you live with a partner who is eligible for Universal Credit, if you are responsible for a child, or if you have received a Migration Notice letter telling you to move to Universal Credit.
If you already get Housing Benefit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, you do not need to do anything unless your circumstances change or you get a letter called a Migration Notice telling you that you must claim Universal Credit. If you get a Migration Notice, you must move to Universal Credit by the deadline date in your letter to keep getting financial support.
You stop getting those benefits when you or your partner claim Universal Credit. If you or your partner get Pension Credit, that also stops if one of you claims Universal Credit.
If you apply for Universal Credit those benefits might end and you will not be able to apply for them again, even if your application is not approved, so work out whether you will be better off first.
How much will I get?
Universal Credit is paid monthly. How much you get depends on your standard allowance, any extra amounts that apply to you, any money taken off your payment and, if you are working, how much you earn:
Element
Monthly amount (2026/27)
Single under 25
£338.58
Single 25 or over
£424.90
Joint claimants both under 25
£528.34
Joint claimants, one or both 25+
£666.97
First child (born before 6 Apr 2017)
£351.88
Additional children
£303.94 each
Disabled child (lower rate)
£164.79
Disabled child (higher rate)
£514.71
Limited capability for work (claims started before 3 April 2017)
£158.76
LCWRA, severe condition unlikely to change or nearing the end of life
£429.80
LCWRA, condition assessed as less severe or may improve
£217.26
Carer element
£209.34
There are different rules if you reported a health condition before 6 April 2026.
For every £1 you earn from working, your Universal Credit payment goes down by 55p. If you or your partner are responsible for a child or have a health condition or disability that affects your ability to work, you can earn a certain amount first, called a work allowance: up to £427 a month if you get help with housing costs through Universal Credit or live in temporary accommodation arranged by your council because you are homeless, and up to £710 a month if neither applies.
If you are working you can claim back up to 85% of your childcare costs from a registered provider, up to £1,071.09 a month for one child and £1,836.16 a month for 2 or more children.
How to claim Universal Credit
1
Make your claim online
You can apply online. You need to create an account, you must complete your claim within 28 days of creating it, and your claim starts on the date you submit it. If you cannot claim online, you can claim by phone through the Universal Credit helpline. You will need your bank, building society or credit union account details, an email address and access to a phone, and you will have to prove your identity.
2
Book your first appointment
You will have to go to a meeting to agree the activities in your claimant commitment before you can get your first payment. You might need an appointment if they need more information or you cannot verify your identity online, and you will be told whether it will be in a jobcentre or on the phone.
3
Your first payment
It usually takes around 5 weeks to get your first payment. Your first assessment period starts the day you make a claim, and you usually get paid 7 days after each monthly assessment period ends. If you need money while you wait, you can apply for an advance.
4
Monthly assessment periods
Universal Credit is calculated based on your circumstances each month. You need to report changes as soon as they happen, because any delay may mean you receive too much money and will have to make a repayment.
Advance payments: An advance is recovered by deductions from your UC claim. An advance on a new claim applied for on or after 12 April 2021 must usually be paid back within 24 months. An advance because of a change of circumstances must usually be paid back within 6 months.
Normally the most that can be taken from your payment to repay a debt is 15% of your standard allowance, down from 25%. More than 15% can be taken for a “last resort deduction”, which helps you meet your child maintenance obligations and prevents you from being evicted or having your utilities cut off, and is paid directly to the person or organisation you owe. Where several deductions compete, child support maintenance comes first, then housing costs, then rent and service charges included in rent, then fuel costs.
If you live in Scotland you can be paid once or twice a month. Scottish Child Payment is one of the family payments from Social Security Scotland, separate from Universal Credit.
In Northern Ireland, Universal Credit is normally paid to a household twice a month, and you can ask to be paid monthly. Money for housing costs is paid directly to your landlord, although if you meet certain conditions you can ask for it to be paid to you.
What to do if your claim is refused or reduced
If you disagree with a decision about your claim you can challenge it by asking for mandatory reconsideration. Some decisions cannot be reconsidered and others can go straight to an appeal, and your original decision letter will say if this applies to you.
1
Request a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR)
You usually need to ask within one month of the date of the decision, and you can ask later if you have a good reason, for example if you have been in hospital or had a bereavement. Someone will look at your whole benefit claim again, and your benefit may stop, stay the same, increase or decrease.
2
Receive the MR decision
You cannot appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal until you get your mandatory reconsideration notice.
3
Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal
You can appeal if you think the decision in the notice is wrong. The tribunal is independent of government, and you usually need to appeal within one month of the date of your notice. In April to June 2026, 45% of Universal Credit decisions cleared at a tribunal hearing were overturned in the claimant's favour (Ministry of Justice).
Is Universal Credit taxable?
Universal Credit is not taxable income. GOV.UK lists Universal Credit among the most common state benefits you do not have to pay Income Tax on.
✓Yes: Housing Benefit and income-related Employment and Support Allowance are also tax-free.
✓Yes: Pension Credit and Personal Independence Payment are also tax-free.
✗No: Carer's Allowance, contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance and the State Pension are taxable.
Child Benefit is also tax-free, but the High Income Child Benefit Charge can apply if your individual income is over £60,000.
How long can you go abroad on Universal Credit?
Going abroad can affect your UC entitlement.
✓Yes: Up to 1 month: a temporary absence is ignored if it is not expected to exceed, and does not exceed, one month. You must still meet your Claimant Commitment
✓Yes: A second month after a death: the month can be extended by up to a further month where the absence is in connection with the death of your partner, a child or qualifying young person you are responsible for, or a close relative, and DWP considers it unreasonable to expect you back within the first month
✓Yes: Up to 6 months for treatment: a longer absence is ignored if it is solely for treatment for an illness or impairment by, or under the supervision of, a qualified practitioner, or medically approved convalescence or care after that treatment
✓Yes: The same 6 months applies if you are accompanying your partner, or a child or qualifying young person you are responsible for, for their treatment
✓Yes: You must report going outside Great Britain for any length of time, or outside Northern Ireland if you live there.
Report changes as soon as they happen. Any delay may mean you receive too much money and will have to make a repayment.
What triggers a Universal Credit review?
Your Universal Credit claim might be reviewed to make sure you are getting the right payment and support, and this can happen at any time while you are claiming. You might be getting the wrong amount if your details are not up to date, so report any changes in your circumstances when they happen.
✓Yes: A claim review agent contacts you in your online journal and asks you to send some documents and have a phone appointment.
✓Yes: The review might find that you are being paid too much, that you are entitled to more, or that there is no change to your amount.
✓Yes: During the review your payment will only be stopped if you do not provide the documents, do not attend your telephone appointment, or are not eligible for Universal Credit.
✓Yes: Changes to report include finding or finishing a job, having a child, moving in with your partner, starting to care for a child or disabled person, moving to a new address, your rent going up or down, changes to your health condition and changes to your savings, investments and how much money you have.
How often does Universal Credit ask for bank statements?
During a claim review you will get a message in your online journal asking to see your bank statements. The claim review agent needs to see your statements and documents without any changes or edits.
✓Yes: When you claim, you provide information about your savings and any investments.
✓Yes: You must report changes to your savings, investments and how much money you have.
✓Yes: All money, savings and investments you have in the UK and abroad are taken into account, including cash, money in bank accounts, current accounts and digital-only accounts such as PayPal, Premium Bonds, cryptoassets, inheritance payments and unspent benefits.
✗No: We do not take your debt into account when working out your total money, savings and investments.
DWP counts the value of all money, savings and investments you own, or jointly own with someone else, so a request can cover any account you hold. Knowingly reducing your money, savings and investments, or transferring them elsewhere, to get or increase your Universal Credit is known as deprivation of capital. If DWP decides you did that, your Universal Credit is based on you still having it, which is called notional capital.
Can UC sanction all your money?
A sanction takes your standard allowance, not the rest of your payment. It can still leave you with nothing if earnings or other income have already reduced what you are due.
✓Yes: A sanction reduces the amount of standard allowance you receive. Extra amounts on top of it, such as for children or housing costs, are still paid to you
✓Yes: The reduction is 100% of the standard allowance rate for each day the sanction runs, or 40% a day if you are 16 or 17 or your only responsibility is to attend appointments to discuss work
✓Yes: If your payment is already reduced by earnings or other income and there is not enough left to take the full sanction amount, your payment is reduced to nil and the sanction counts as fully applied
✓Yes: If you cannot pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs because of the sanction, you can ask for a hardship payment
✓Yes: A hardship payment is 60% of the reduction, worked out day by day, and you repay it from future UC payments
✓Yes: A first high level sanction is 91 days (about 3 months). If you had a high level sanction in the past year, but not within the last 14 days, it can be up to a maximum of 182 days (about 6 months).
✓Yes: A first medium level sanction is 28 days (4 weeks). If you had a medium level sanction in the past year, but not within the last 14 days, it might last 91 days (13 weeks).
✓Yes: A low level sanction lasts from the date you failed to do the activity until the day before you do it, plus a fixed number of extra days, usually 7 if you have not been sanctioned in the last 365 days. A lowest level sanction lasts from the date of the appointment until the day before you contact Universal Credit to arrange a new one.
✓Yes: These lengths are for people aged 18 or over; 16 and 17 year olds have shorter sanctions.
✓Yes: If you disagree with a sanction decision, or have more evidence, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration.
Can Universal Credit be backdated?
If you or your partner were delayed in making a claim through no fault of your own, you can backdate your claim by up to one month in certain circumstances.
✓Yes: A claim must be made on the first day of the period it is for, so UC normally starts from the day you claim
✓Yes: DWP must extend the time for claiming up to the last day of what would be the first assessment period, so backdating runs to a maximum of one month
✓Yes: It applies only if one of the listed circumstances applied to you and, because of it, you could not reasonably have been expected to claim earlier
✓Yes: The circumstances are: you were getting an existing benefit and were not told before your entitlement expired; you have a disability; you have given DWP medical evidence of an illness that prevented you claiming; the official computer system was not working so you could not claim online; or DWP refused a joint claim because your partner did not meet a basic condition
✓Yes: You can ask for backdating in your Universal Credit account, by calling the Universal Credit helpline or by speaking to your work coach, and you may be asked to provide evidence.
Carers element, how to apply
If you provide at least 35 hours of care a week for someone who gets a qualifying health or disability-related benefit, you could get a carer element within your UC payment (£209.34 a month in 2026/27).
✓Yes: The person you care for must get Adult Disability Payment (standard or enhanced award), Armed Forces Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Child Disability Payment (middle or highest care award), Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (middle or highest care rate) or either rate of the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment.
✓Yes: If you live with your partner and you both care for the same person, you get only one carer element.
✓Yes: You need to report changes when you become eligible for an extra amount, because they are not added automatically. For example, if you become a carer you need to tell DWP, and the carer element is not applied automatically if you start getting Carer's Allowance.
✗No: If you get an extra amount because you have limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), you cannot also get the carer element.
The UC carer element is separate from Carer's Allowance, and you may be eligible for both. Your Universal Credit payment is reduced by an amount equal to your Carer's Allowance payment, so you will not necessarily receive both in full. See our Carer's Allowance guide for the interaction explained.
UC sanctions, what they are and how to challenge them
A sanction reduces your Universal Credit payment if you do not complete your agreed work-related activities without a good reason. Examples are missing appointments with your work coach, not searching for jobs, or failing to accept a job that is offered to you without good reason.
✓Yes: You get a journal message in your Universal Credit account telling you what you failed to do and how long the sanction may last
✓Yes: If DWP decides you had a good reason, your payment is not reduced
✓Yes: If you cannot pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs because of the sanction, you can ask for a hardship payment
✓Yes: A hardship payment is 60% of the reduction and you repay it from future UC payments
✓Yes: If you disagree with a sanction decision, or have more evidence, ask for a mandatory reconsideration
✗No: You will not have 2 sanctions at once, but sanctions can run back to back
If you cannot do the things in your claimant commitment, contact Universal Credit straight away by adding a note to your journal in your account.
No. Universal Credit is not taxable income: GOV.UK lists it among the most common state benefits you do not have to pay Income Tax on. Some benefits are taxable, including Carer's Allowance, contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance and the State Pension.
How long can you go abroad on Universal Credit?
A temporary absence from Great Britain is ignored if it is not expected to exceed, and does not exceed, one month, and you still meet your Claimant Commitment. That month can be extended by up to a further month where the absence is in connection with the death of your partner, a child or qualifying young person you are responsible for, or a close relative, and DWP considers it unreasonable to expect you back within the first month. A longer absence, up to 6 months, is ignored if it is solely for treatment for an illness or impairment by, or under the supervision of, a qualified practitioner, or medically approved convalescence or care after that treatment, including where you are accompanying your partner or a child you are responsible for.
Can Universal Credit be backdated?
You can backdate a Universal Credit claim by up to one month in certain circumstances if you were delayed in making a claim through no fault of your own, for example if you have a disability, had health problems that stopped you claiming earlier, or the online service was not working. You can ask in your account, through the helpline or with your work coach, and you may be asked to provide evidence.
What triggers a Universal Credit review?
A review can happen at any time while you are claiming Universal Credit. A claim review agent contacts you in your online journal and asks you to send documents, including bank statements, and to have a phone appointment. During the review your payment will only be stopped if you do not provide the documents, do not attend your telephone appointment, or are not eligible for Universal Credit.
Can Universal Credit sanction all of my money?
A sanction reduces the amount of standard allowance you receive. Extra amounts on top of it, such as for children or housing costs, are still paid to you. It can still leave you with nothing: if earnings or other income have already reduced your payment and there is not enough left to take the full sanction amount, your payment is reduced to nil. If you cannot pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs because of the sanction, ask for a hardship payment. That is 60% of the reduction, and you repay it from future UC payments. If you disagree with the decision, or have more evidence, ask for a mandatory reconsideration.