Can I apply?

Universal Credit is means-tested which means any income, savings or capital you have will be considered when you apply.

You may be entitled to Universal Credit if:

• you’re on a low income or not in work
• you’re 18 or over (there are several exceptions if you’re 16 or 17 – for example, you are estranged from your parents, a parent yourself. are sick or disabled, or are caring for someone with a disability.)
• you are under State Pension age
• you have less than £16,000 in savings (combined if you have a partner)
• you are not in education, although there are some exceptions to this
• you are happy to accept a claimant commitment – see below section called ‘What is the claimant commitment?’ for more information
• you meet residence and presence conditions
  
  

Do you need to make a joint claim?

You would need to make a joint claim with a partner you live with if you are married or are civil partners or, you are living together as though you are married or civil partners. 

Both of your savings and income will be taken into account even if only one of you is applying for Universal Credit. See ‘How does Universal Credit affect couples?’ for more details. 

There are exceptions where you can claim as a single person such as where your partner is not in Great Britain or is subject to immigration control. Seek advice if you are treated as a couple and want to challenge that decision.

Still not sure?

To find out if you are eligible for Universal Credit (or other benefits), contact our Helpline at [email protected] for a benefit check or contact the benefits charity Turn2us. As a starting point, you could also try using this benefits calculator.

Removal of the two child limit

You may be able to receive an extra amount called the child element if you have any children (or qualifying young people) living with you.

In the past, you could usually only claim the child element for your first two children. From 6 April 2026, the two child limit has been removed. You can now receive a child element for each child or qualifying young person who can be included in your claim.

What does this mean?

If you qualify, you can now claim the child element of Universal Credit if you have three or more children. Make sure your work coach has up-to-date information about any children or young people who can be included in your claim.

There is a health element to Universal Credit – the criteria for the LCWRA group has changed

If you have difficulty working because you are sick, disabled or have a long-term health condition, the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) or DfC (Department for Communities in Northern Ireland) may assess you as either having 'limited capability for work' (LCW) or 'limited capability for work-related activity' (LCWRA).

For new claims, the rules for people with LCWRA have changed. There are now two different rates for LCWRA, a higher rate for those who have severe or lifelong health conditions and a standard rate which is a lower amount for those with other eligible conditions. See the gov.uk site for more information: Universal Credit: what you could get if you have a health condition or disability - GOV.UK

What does this mean?

Existing claimants will not be affected. If you make a new claim or you report your health condition on or after 6 April, this LCWRA payment would be either the amount of £429.80 a month or it would be the lower amount of £217.26 a month. To check the amount you could be eligible for, visit the government website: Universal Credit: what you could get if you have a health condition or disability - GOV.UK

Has the Universal Credit standard allowance gone up?

Yes, the standard allowance for Universal Credit has increased. See our tab below 'How much will I receive?'.

Universal Credit doesn’t depend on your National Insurance contributions and is not taxable.

There are several different options

If you’re eligible, you can apply for Universal Credit online via Gov.uk. If you need help with applying, you can contact the Universal Credit helpline from Monday to Friday (8am to 6pm):

• Call 0800 328 5644
• NGT text relay – if you cannot hear or speak on the phone: 18001 then 0800 328 5644
• Textphone: 0800 328 1344

Alternatively you could contact Citizens Advice’s Help to Claim service.

Before making a claim, you will need a bank account, your National Insurance number and an email address. Citizens Advice has helpful information on other ways to get support and what to expect when applying.

This page contains some useful step-by-step guidelines. For further assistance with applying, you could contact an advice agency. You can search for one via advicelocal.

Two things to note

It is important that you tell the Universal Credit office that you are a carer using your online journal or by phone if you are a telephone claimant. This is because they will not automatically know this and apply the Carer's Element, even if you are getting Carer’s Allowance. You can inform them of your caring role even if you are yet to claim, or not going to claim Carer’s Allowance.

Another important thing to note is that if the person you are looking after receives a severe disability premium (or addition) within their means-tested legacy benefits, they will lose this if your Universal Credit includes a Carer's Element (regardless of whether or not you are also claiming Carer’s Allowance).

They will also lose it if you are paid Carer's Allowance. You can read more about this in our Carer's Allowance factsheet.

Every month you’re paid is referred to as an assessment period

At the end of each assessment period, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will work out how much Universal Credit you will get based on your circumstances on the final day of your assessment period. Changes in your circumstances, that are reported as they happen, are applied to the whole assessment period in which the change occurred.

It is important to tell the Universal Credit office about any changes in your circumstances as soon as they occur – see below, ‘What do I do if my circumstances change?’

To work out how much Universal Credit you will get, the DWP will:

• work out the maximum amount of Universal Credit for your circumstances
• work out the amount of your household assessable income
• deduct your household assessable income from your maximum Universal Credit amount.

Your monthly Universal Credit payment is the total of your maximum UC amount minus your household assessable income.

The maximum amount of Universal Credit for your circumstances

The maximum amount of Universal Credit for your circumstances is made up of a standard allowance which depends on your age and whether you are single or in a couple, and what are called various ‘elements’.

The standard allowance amounts for 2026/27 are:

• £338.58  a month if you are single and aged under 25
• £424.90 a month if you are single and aged 25+
• £528.34 a month if you are in a couple and both aged under 25
• £666.97 a month if you are in a couple and one or both of you are aged 25+.

The elements depend on your circumstances and can include:

• child elements (plus additional amounts for disabled or severely disabled children)
• A 'Carer's Element'*
• a limited capability for work element and a limited capability for work-related activity element
• a housing costs element
• a childcare costs element
• a transitional element or severe disability premium transitional element.
  
  

*You may be able to get the 'Carer Element' of Universal Credit if you have ‘regular and substantial caring responsibilities’ for a ‘severely disabled person’. This is an extra amount paid with Universal Credit and is worth £209.34 a month (26/27).

If you would like more guidance on your options, contact one of our advisers at [email protected]

It will take five weeks to receive your first payment of Universal Credit.  

A single payment is made to the household. If you have a joint claim, you can choose the account into which it's paid but the DWP can, in some circumstances, arrange for payments to be made into different accounts.

See this page for more information. 

If you need help with your living costs while you wait for your first payment, you can apply for an advance payment. This will be deducted from future payments of your Universal Credit. You can apply for an advance payment through your online Universal Credit account, your Jobcentre Plus work coach or by calling the Universal Credit helpline if you need help.

Living together?

If you live with your partner in the same household, you’ll usually need to make a joint claim as a couple. You will be seen as a couple if you are married, in a civil partnership or living with your partner as if you are married or in a civil partnership.

Even if your partner isn’t eligible for Universal Credit, their income and savings will be considered when you make a claim. You both make your own claim and ‘link’ them together.

If both you and your partner are of State Pension age, you’ll need to claim for Pension Credit instead. If one of you is of working age and the other is of State Pension age, you will usually need to claim Universal Credit. Contact our Helpline for further guidance: [email protected].

If there is a change in your circumstances, you must notify the Department of Work and Pensions as soon as possible.

If you have an online account, you can report the change via your online journal. If you do not have an online account, you can report the change by calling the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644. Make a note of any conversation for your own records.

Generally, if a change of circumstances happens during an assessment period, it is treated as having happened on the first day of that assessment period.

However, a change of circumstances that means you get more Universal Credit, is only treated as having happened on the first day of that assessment period if you report it before the end of that assessment period. If you miss this time limit, the change applies from the start of the assessment period in which you reported it. This time limit can only be extended in exceptional circumstances. 

There’s an exception to the above rule. If you are entitled to more Universal Credit because you or someone in your household is awarded a qualifying benefit (such as Personal Independence Payment, Carer's Allowance or Attendance Allowance), the change takes effect from the date the qualifying benefit began. 

If you are already receiving one of the legacy benefits that Universal Credit is replacing (listed above on this page), you don’t need to do anything unless:

• your circumstances change so that you'll need to make a new claim. Since you can no longer make a new claim for a legacy benefit, you'll need to make a claim for Universal Credit instead.
• the Department of Work and Pensions (Department for Communities in Northern Ireland) writes to you telling you that you must claim Universal Credit.  

You can choose to move over to Universal Credit any time if you’re eligible, but you won’t be able to go back to any benefits you were receiving before. Think carefully before making a switch and take advice from a benefits adviser.

Do you already receive a Severe Disability Premium (SDP)?

If you already receive a Severe Disability Premium, you may be able to receive a top-up payment called an ‘SDP transitional element’. This is generally if you are moving to Universal Credit due to a change of circumstances.

There are a few conditions to meet to be entitled to the extra payment.

In the month prior to your Universal Credit claim, you would have to be receiving an SDP award included with one of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

(It does not apply if you only have SDP as part of a housing benefit claim.) 

You would also need to qualify for the SDP award on the first day of your Universal Credit claim. You can find out more details on the ‘entitled to’ website.