Universal Credit
The government is moving many different benefits into one Universal Credit.
It will replace the following:
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income-based ESA (but not contribution-based ESA) will move to Universal Credit. The claims process will be the same one used for ESA.
Under Universal Credit each household will make a claim, rather than each individual. It’s one payment, paid monthly and based on all your household’s circumstances.
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Find out more about Universal Credit
How will this affect me?
The details for Universal Credit are still being finalised, but one aspect of the new benefit is that it caps the total weekly amount available for each household.
However, this cap does not apply if someone in the household receives certain other benefits, including:
- Disability Living Allowance (or the new Personal Independence Payment)
- Attendance Allowance
- the support component of Employment and Support Allowance.
When will this happen?
Universal Credit is being rolled out gradually and this will depend on where you live. By the end of 2018 everyone who makes a new claim will need to claim Universal Credit. Anyone still on any of the six old benefits mentioned earlier will be moved to Universal Credit by March 2022.
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