Universal Credit: full service and live service
This guidance explains the Universal Credit full service and live service.
Universal Credit is now available in all parts of Great Britain.
The way you manage your claim depends on whether or not you have an online account.
Full service
Universal Credit full service is available to all types of claimants in Great Britain.
You will have an online Universal Credit account to manage your claim. You can use your account to report changes, send messages to your work coach and find support.
Eventually all Universal Credit claims will be on the full service.
Live service
The Universal Credit live service is no longer available for new claims.
If you are already getting Universal Credit and do not have an online account you will continue to manage your claim by phone.
If your Universal Credit claim is paused because of increased earnings, you will return to Universal Credit live service if your earnings fall, as long as it is within 6 months.
Live service claims will eventually move to the full service. You will be notified when this will happen and what you need to do at that time.
Claiming Universal Credit
You will always have access to a work coach who can help you with things like:
- finding work
- increasing the hours you work
- getting more prepared for when you are able to work by learning new work skills or life skills
Helping you to improve your income is central to the Universal Credit service.
Reporting changes
How you report changes affecting your Universal Credit claim, such as changing address or adding a child to your claim, will depend on which service you use.
Full service areas
Use your Universal Credit online account to report changes by answering the questions on screen. The online service will also explain how to report changes you cannot report online at the moment.
Live service areas
Call the Universal Credit service centre to report changes:
Telephone: 0800 328 9344
Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm
Textphone: 0800 328 1344
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Welsh language (make a claim): 0800 012 1888
Welsh language (report changes): 0800 328 1744
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Last updated 12 December 2018 + show all updates
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Updated to show that Universal Credit is now available everywhere in Great Britain.
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Universal Credit live service telephone helpline opening hours changed to 9am to 4pm.
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Revised due to ongoing roll out of Universal Credit full service, this means live service areas stopped taking new claims from 1 January 2018.
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Updated guide with new 0800 freephone numbers for Universal Credit.
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First published.