Universal Credit
What Universal Credit is
Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It’s paid monthly - or twice a month for some people in Scotland.
You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or you cannot work.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg) and in an easy read format.
If you live in Northern Ireland, go to Universal Credit in Northern Ireland.
Sign in
Sign in to your Universal Credit account if you already have one.
If you already get other benefits
Universal Credit is replacing the following benefits and tax credits:
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Working Tax Credit
If you’re getting any of these benefits or tax credits, you do not need to do anything unless:
-
you have a change of circumstances you need to report
-
you get a letter called a ‘Migration Notice’ telling you that you must start to claim Universal Credit
You’ll stop getting these benefits and tax credits when you or your partner claims Universal Credit. If you or your partner gets Pension Credit, this will also stop if one of you claims Universal Credit.
This will not affect any other benefits you’re getting, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Carer’s Allowance.
You can read more about how tax credits and Universal Credit affect each other.