What is Universal Credit?
Universal Credit supports you if you are on a low income or out of work. It includes a monthly payment to help with your living costs.
This website produced by The Department for Work and Pensions is really useful if you are:
WHAT IS UNIVERSAL CREDIT?
Universal Credit is a new benefit for people of working age. It is paid both to people who are out of work and to those in employment. It is replacing most of the current means-tested benefits for people of working age, with a single payment made by the Department for Work and Pensions.
What benefits is Universal Credit replacing?
- Income support.
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
- Child tax credit.
- Working tax credit.
- Housing benefit.
These are known as the 'legacy benefits'.
Other benefits such as Carer's Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Child Benefit and Council Tax Reductions continue to exist as separate benefits.
You normally need to be at least 18 to claim Universal Credit but special rules allow some 16 and 17 year olds to claim, including many disabled 16 and 17 year olds.
People aged over pension credit age cannot normally claim Universal Credit and must claim Pension Credit instead. If you are a couple where one partner is of pension credit age and the other is of working age you can currently get Pension Credit. However this will change on 15 May 2019 when mixed age couples who make a new claim will have to apply for Universal Credit instead.
Universal Credit for sick and disabled people
The Money Advice Service produce useful information on their website explaining about Universal Credit for sick and disabled people.
A Guide to Universal Credit and You
For more information on claiming Universal Credit, your commitments, sanctions and working while claiming download this useful guide.
Contact also have some useful information about Universal Credit.