Eligibility
You may be able to get Universal Credit if you’re on a low income or need help with your living costs. You could be:
- out of work
- working (including self-employed or part time)
- unable to work, for example because of a health condition
You may be able to get Universal Credit if you’re studying full-time and any of the following apply:
- you’re aged 21 or under, in full-time non-advanced education and do not have parental support
- you’re responsible for a child
- you live with your partner and they’re eligible for Universal Credit
- you’ve received a Migration Notice telling you to move to Universal Credit
- you’re disabled, were assessed as having limited capability for work before starting your course
You may still be entitled to Universal Credit if you receive a student loan or grant, however your student income, such as loans and grants, can affect how much Universal Credit you get.
To claim you must:
- live in the UK
- be aged 18 or over (there are some exceptions if you’re 16 to 17)
- be under State Pension age
- have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments
If you receive a Migration Notice
There are different eligibility rules if you’ve received a Migration Notice letter telling you to claim Universal Credit.
Non-Means-Tested Benefits & UC
You can receive many non-means-tested benefits at the same time as Universal Credit. However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will deduct the value of most non-means-tested benefits from your UC payment pound-for-pound.
Benefits that are deducted pound-for-pound:
- Carer’s Allowance
- New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- State Pension
- Maternity Allowance
Benefits paid alongside UC without deductions:
Disability and supplementary benefits do not reduce your UC payment. You can receive these in full: [1]
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Child Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
Income from work and work related benefits
If you or your partner are working, how much Universal Credit you get will depend on how much you earn. There’s no limit to how many hours you can work and still get Universal Credit.
If your wages go up, your Universal Credit payment will reduce. If you stop working or your wages go down, your payment will increase.
There are different rules if you’re self-employed.
For every £1 you earn from working, your Universal Credit payment goes down by 55p. Your income will be your wages plus your new Universal Credit payment.
Use a benefits calculator to see how your Universal Credit changes if your wages go up.
Most employers will report your wages for you. You will normally only need to report monthly earnings if you’re self-employed.
If you have a disability, health condition or have children
You can earn a certain amount before your Universal Credit starts to be reduced if you or your partner are either:
- responsible for a child or young person
- living with a disability or health condition that affects your ability to work
This amount is called a ‘work allowance’.
SSP and Contractual Sick Pay
SSP and contractual sick pay are counted as earnings and will be included in any calculation of income from work.
If your SSP is ending, your employer must send you form SSP1 either:
- within 7 days of your SSP ending, if it ends unexpectedly while you’re still sick
- on or before the beginning of the 23rd week, if your SSP is expected to end before your sickness does
If you do not qualify for SSP, your employer must send you form SSP1 within 7 days of your first day off sick.
Working out your work allowance
How much you can earn before your Universal Credit payment is reduced depends on whether you get help with housing.
You can earn up to £427 a month before your payment starts to reduce if either:
- you get help with housing costs through Universal Credit
- you live in temporary accommodation arranged by your council because you’re homeless
If neither of these circumstances apply to you, you can earn up to £710 a month before your payment starts to reduce.
Self-Employment
At the end of each monthly assessment period, you’ll need to report:
- how much you earned from self-employment, even if it’s nothing
- any money you paid into a pension
- payments into and out of your business
This also applies to company directors, even those paying themselves by PAYE.
Do this by signing into your Universal Credit account and completing the ‘Report your income and expenses’ task in your to-do list.
Payments into and out of your business
You’ll need to report payments into and out of your business in each monthly assessment period. This includes:
- the total amount your business received
- how much your business spent on different types of expenses, such as travel costs, stock, equipment and tools, protective clothing and office costs
- how much tax and National Insurance your business paid
There’s more guidance about reporting your income and expenses from self-employment, which includes how to work out your income and the expenses you can include.
Your business’s property
You do not need to report things your company already owns (‘business assets’), such as machinery, buildings or cash in your company account.
Showing that self-employment is your main work
To claim Universal Credit if you’re self-employed, you need to show that self-employment is your main work.
This includes showing that:
- self-employment is your main job or your main source of income
- you get regular work from self-employment
- your work is organised – this means you have invoices and receipts, or accounts
- you expect to make a profit
Do this by giving your work coach evidence of your:
- tax returns, accounts and any business plan
- Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), if you’re registered for Self Assessment
- customer and supplier lists, receipts and invoices
- marketing materials
If you can show all these things, you’ll be considered ‘gainfully self-employed’. This means you do not have to look for other work and can concentrate on growing your business.
If you cannot show all these things, you might have to look for other work if you want to keep getting Universal Credit.
This depends on your circumstances – you’ll agree this when you meet your work coach.
How your Universal Credit payment is worked out
Your Universal Credit payment will be based on the earnings you report at the end of each monthly assessment period.
If you’re gainfully self-employed, your Universal Credit payment may be calculated using an assumed level of earnings, called a minimum income floor.
It’s based on what an employed person on minimum wage would expect to earn in similar circumstances.
If you earn more than this, then your Universal Credit amount is based on your actual earnings.
If you earn less, the minimum income floor is used to work out how much you can get. You may need to look for additional work to top up your income.
If you’re both self-employed and employed
Your Universal Credit payment will be calculated based on your combined earnings from self-employment and employment.
If you make a loss from self-employment, only your employment earnings will be used to calculate how much Universal Credit you get.
Start up period
You may be eligible for a 12 month start up period if you’re self-employed. Your work coach can tell you if you can get a start up period for your business.
During your start up period your monthly earnings are used to work out your Universal Credit and the minimum income floor does not apply. You’ll also receive support from a work coach who’s trained to work with the self-employed.
You’ll need to attend quarterly appointments with your work coach, providing evidence to show that you’re still gainfully self-employed and actively taking steps to build your business.
You’re only entitled to one start up period, unless it has been more than 5 years since your previous one, and you’ve started a completely different type of self-employment.
Benefits Calculator
You can use a benefits calculator to check what benefits you could get.
Joint Claims
If you live with your partner, you will both need to claim Universal Credit. You must make a joint claim for your household, even if your partner is not eligible. How much you can get will depend on your partner’s income and savings, as well as your own.
Joint claims where one partner has No Recourse to Public Funds
If your partner’s leave is subject to a ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition, in most cases your claim for Universal Credit will not breach this condition, if one of a couple is ineligible because of their immigration or residence status, the partner who is eligible for UC can claim it as a single person.
In this case, the rate of UC will take no account of the other partner. There will be a single person’s basic standard amount and there will be no additional amounts if, for example, the non-eligible partner is a carer or is unfit for work. However, the non-eligible partner’s income and capital is still taken into account in the normal way.
You should seek specialist immigration advice before making a claim if either you and your partner are joint tenants and you would receive a greater amount of the housing costs element due to the presence of your partner (for example if you and your partner are joint tenants with one or more other joint tenants) or if you are entitled to a greater amount of the childcare element (for example due to the work done by your partner, if their earned income does not offset the additional childcare element). Either situation might be considered to breach your partner’s ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition and put their current or future right to remain in the UK at risk.
Separated Couples
If you have separated from your partner but are still living in the same home as them, you may qualify for Universal Credit as a single person.
If you move out of the family home youI and you and your ex-partner had a joint claim for UC prior to your separation, you don’t have to make a new claim for UC but you should inform the DWP of your change of circumstances as soon as you can.
Mixed age couples (where one partner is above pension age)
If one of you has reached State Pension age you and your partner can still claim Universal Credit as a couple. Your Universal Credit claim will stop when you both reach State Pension age. If you’re getting Pension Credit, it will stop if you or your partner make a claim for Universal Credit. You’ll usually be better off staying on Pension Credit.
Students
Universal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you’re a student.
Studying full-time
You cannot usually get Universal Credit if you’re studying full-time. There are some exceptions.
You may be able to get Universal Credit if you’re studying full-time and any of the following apply:
- you’re aged 21 or under, in full-time non-advanced education and do not have parental support
- you’re responsible for a child
- you live with your partner and they’re eligible for Universal Credit
- you’ve reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit and live with a partner who has not
- you’ve received a Migration Notice telling you to move to Universal Credit
- you’re disabled, were assessed as having limited capability for work before starting your course, and are getting:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
- Child Disability Payment (CDP) in Scotland
- Attendance Allowance
- Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) in Scotland
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
You may also be able to get Universal Credit if you’re studying in full-time non-advanced education, you do not get a student loan or maintenance grant and you’re available for work.
If the course is more than 12 hours a week, this only applies from 1 September following your 19th birthday. This is because your parents can claim benefits for you before that date.
You may be asked to provide evidence of the course you’re doing.
Aged 21 or under, in non-advanced education and do not have parental support
This includes if you’ve left care provided by the local council or you’re without parental support.
You may be eligible for Universal Credit if:
- you’re on a full-time course of non-advanced education or training that started before you reached age 21
- you reach age 21 while you’re on the course
You can continue to get Universal Credit until:
- the end of the academic year in which you reach age 21
- the end of the course, if it ends before you reach age 21
You’re responsible for a child
The child may be adopted or a foster child.
For couples, one of you or both of you may be a student.
What counts as a full-time course
The education or training provider usually decides whether a course is full-time.
If you attend a full-time course on a part-time basis, you’ll be treated as studying full-time.
A course is an arrangement of study, tuition or training. It can be academic, practical, or a combination of both. It is usually done at, or by arrangement with, an education or training provider.
It will often lead to a qualification when it is completed. Some non-advanced study, tuition or training, may not lead to a formal qualification. This does not mean that it is not a course.
Studying part-time
You may be eligible for Universal Credit if you’re available for work and studying part-time.
However, if your course involves more than 12 hours of non-advanced education, this only applies from 1 September after your 19th birthday. This is because before that date, your parents may still be able to claim benefits for you.
You may be asked to provide evidence of the course you’re doing.
How student income affects Universal Credit
You may be entitled to Universal Credit if you receive a student loan or grant.
Your student income, such as loans and grants, can affect how much Universal Credit you get.
Student loans
Loans for maintenance, such as living costs and rent, are regarded as income, and are taken into account when we work out your Universal Credit. Loans for tuition fees and other costs of study are excluded.
The maximum student maintenance loan you’re eligible for will be taken into account when working out your Universal Credit. This applies even if you have:
- not applied for a loan
- not accepted the loan
- decided not to take the full amount
- received a reduced loan because someone has contributed to your living costs, for example your parent, guardian or partner
- received a reduced loan because you receive a grant
Universal Credit is usually paid once a month and is based on your circumstances during that month. This is called your ‘assessment period’. An amount for any maintenance you get will be taken off your Universal Credit for each assessment period that you attend the course.
The amount we take off is worked out by dividing the student finance you get (or are eligible for) by the number of assessment periods in your course year.
For every £1 you’re entitled to get from a maintenance loan, your Universal Credit will be reduced by £1.
For each assessment period, when we work out your income we ignore the first £110.
No student income will be taken off your Universal Credit if:
- the assessment period covers the first day of the summer holidays
- you’re on summer holiday for the whole of a subsequent assessment period
- your course ends during the assessment period
Special Support Loan or Grant
If you receive a Special Support Loan or Grant, this will not be taken off your Universal Credit.
A Special Support Loan or Grant provides help towards costs of study, such as books, equipment and travel.
You may get a Special Support Loan or Grant if you get or qualify for:
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- the housing element of Universal Credit
You may get the Special Support Loan or Grant if, for example, you’re a lone parent or have certain disabilities.
If you live in England the Special Support Grant was replaced by the Special Support Loan from the beginning of the 2016 to 2017 academic year. If you live in Wales, it is called a Special Support Grant.
You’ll be told if you can get the loan or grant when you apply for student finance.
Read more about student loans for undergraduates.
Postgraduate loans
Postgraduate Master’s and Doctoral loans are paid in 3 instalments over each year of the course. They are a contribution to both living costs and tuition fees.
Student grants
If you’re a full-time higher education student, you may be able to get a non-repayable grant from the government to help with accommodation and other living costs. There are also other types of grants that can help with things like childcare, tuition fees or examination fees.
If you get Universal Credit and are eligible for a student loan, your students grant will be taken into account for specific amounts which cover:
- your rent costs
- the maintenance costs of another person included in your Universal Credit award
If you get Universal Credit and are not eligible for a student loan, the following student grants will not be included in the calculation:
- tuition and examination fees
- your disability
- expenses for residential study away from an educational establishment
- living away from your usual place of study
- maintenance of dependent adult (if the Universal Credit award does not include an amount for this person)
- books and equipment
- travel expenses
- childcare costs
How to claim
You can apply for Universal Credit online.
You need to create an account to make a claim. You must complete your claim within 28 days of creating your account or you will have to start again. Your claim starts on the date you submit it in your account.
If you live with your partner, you will both need to create accounts. You’ll link them together when you claim. You cannot claim by yourself.
If you cannot claim online, you can claim by phone through the Universal Credit helpline.
What you need to apply
To apply online you’ll need:
- your bank, building society or credit union account details
- an email address
- access to a phone
If you do not have these, you can call the Universal Credit helpline or go to a jobcentre. You can also get support from the Citizens Advice Help to Claim service.
You’ll also have to prove your identity. You’ll need some identity documents for this, for example your:
- driving licence
- passport
- debit or credit card
- payslip or P60
To complete your claim you will need to provide information about:
- your housing, for example how much rent you pay
- your earnings, for example payslips
- your National Insurance number, if you have one
- other benefits you get
- any disability or health condition that affects your work
- how much you pay for childcare if you want help with childcare costs
- your savings and any investments, like shares or a property that you rent out
You might need an appointment with the Universal Credit team if:
- they need more information
- you cannot verify your identity online
You’ll be told if this appointment will be in a jobcentre or on the phone.
How UC is paid
Universal Credit is paid monthly on the anniversary of your first payment. You can receive your standard allowance and additional amounts for children, childcare, disability and housing costs subject to eligibility. The amount you receive depends on how much your have earned in the period and if you receive certain benefits
Claimant Commitment
To get Universal Credit payments, you’ll need to accept an agreement called a ‘claimant commitment’.
This is a record of what you agree to do to:
- prepare for and look for work
- increase your earnings, if you are already working.
If you live with your partner, you both have to claim Universal Credit. You’ll each have your own claimant commitment.
You will have a meeting to discuss your claimant commitment, usually at the jobcentre. In this meeting you’ll discuss your circumstances and talk about anything that could make it hard for you to do what’s in your commitment. For example, if you have a mental health condition, or if you care for someone.
You must accept your claimant commitment in your online account or your Universal Credit claim will be stopped.
Your claimant commitment is reviewed regularly and will change if your circumstances change. For example, if you get ill, your partner starts a job or you have a child.
You might need to look for a job. If you have a job, you might need to look for a better paid job or try to work more hours.
What you need to do depends on if you:
- have a health condition or are disabled
- care for someone
- have a child under 13
- earn above a certain amount
If you’re not able to work now but you will be able to in the future, you might need to prepare for work. This could include things like writing a CV or attending a training course.
If you need to look for work, you will get help from a ‘work coach’. Your work coach can help with things like applying for jobs, accessing training or looking for work in your area.
Managing your claim
You will have to manage your claim in your online account. You might have to reply to messages, record your childcare costs, or tell us what you’ve done to look for work.
You’ll get a text or email when you need to do something in your online account.
You can contact Universal Credit:
- through your online account
- by calling the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644
Complaints
You can raise a concern or make a complaint if you’re unhappy with the service provided by DWP, for example if:
- mistakes have been made
- there were unreasonable delays
- you feel you’ve been treated poorly
- you haven’t been kept informed
You can raise a concern directly with the team or business area you have been dealing with, you need to let them know:
- your National Insurance number – unless you are an employer or landlord
- your full name, address and contact numbers
- which benefit or business area you are raising a concern about
- what happened, when it happened and how it affected you
- what you want them to do to put things right
If you’ve experienced unfair treatment, DWP may consider:
- making an apology
- providing an explanation
- taking corrective action
- making a special payment if you suffered financially
You can contact the team or business area you’ve been dealing with by phone, in person or in writing. Use the contact details at the top of any recent letters or the contact details below.
To raise a concern about Universal Credit online you can use:
- the ‘Make a complaint’ service
- the journal on your Universal Credit account
- UC helpline on 0800 328 5644
Last Updated on June 4, 2026 by Ashford Advice