Financial support and advice

Universal Credit (UC) helps make sure you’re getting the financial support you’re entitled to. It has replaced six older benefits – child tax credit, working tax credit, housing benefit, income support, income-based job-seeker’s allowance and income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) – with a modern system.

UC is completely managed online so you’ll need internet access and basic computer skills to manage your account. When you set your account up, you’ll be able to log in using a username and password to make a claim, view payment details, search for a job and report any changes in your circumstances.

With UC, you can no longer claim Housing Benefit and your housing payment is paid to you, not us. This means that you are responsible for paying your rent.

This may be a big change but setting up a Direct Debit is easy and takes the hassle out of paying your rent. It can also help with budgeting.

If you are currently claiming UC, you will be eligible for an advance payment to make sure that your rent and other bills can be paid. If you’re not sure if you need an advance or want to discuss this, please contact us.

Things like the Benefit Cap and Bedroom Tax (also known as the Spare Room Subsidy) can also affect your UC payment.

Make a Universal Credit claim

To make a claim, you will need your:

• email address
• bank account details (to receive payments)
• mobile phone number
• national insurance number
• proof of identity (e.g. passport or driving licence)
• recent rent statement

Paying your rent is a priority. If you claim UC, please contact us to discuss how this affects your rent account and how we can support you. You can also contact us if you are struggling to pay your rent or if you need any money advice.

Further details about how you can make a claim for Universal Credit can be found on the Gov.UK website.