How to apply for Universal Credit
How to apply for Universal Credit
What is Universal Credit? (UC)
Universal Credit (UC), is the name of a benefit that some people who do not work, do not work many hours, or who do not earn much money can get.
The money is to help to pay for your living costs.
Living costs include things like
rent
Rent is the money that you pay to live in your home when you have a
tenancy agreement
A Tenancy agreement is where the person renting a house, and the person who owns the house, agree on things like how much rent to pay, who will mend things like the cooker if they go wrong, and whether you are allowed pets.
. Your home belongs to a
landlord
A landlord is the owner of a property which they rent out to tenants. They can be a
council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
, a housing association, or an individual person.
, but you have a right to live there as long as you follow the rules that are in your tenancy agreement.
, food and energy bills.
What you need to do to apply for Universal Credit
Step 1: Check that you can get Universal Credit
To see if you could get Universal Credit, read our What is Universal Credit? Easy Read page.
Step 2: Check if you will get more money if you claim Universal Credit
If you already get benefits or
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work.
to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council Tax is the money that people pay to the council. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
credits, they might end if you apply for Universal Credit.
You should check if you will get more money if you or your partner claim Universal Credit.
To check if you will get more money, you can ask someone to help you.
You can use benefit calculators to see how much money you could get.
Step 3: Make sure you have everything you will need
Before you apply for Universal Credit, you will need to know:
your name, address and telephone number
your date of birth
your
National Insurance
National Insurance is a type of tax. It is money that is taken out of the money you earn each month. You pay National Insurance so that you can get a
pension
A pension is money you get when you are older to pay for the things you need. You can pay money into your pension when you are working so there is more money for when you are older.
when you are older.
number if you have one.
You can find your National Insurance number on any letters you have had about your tax, pensions or benefits.
your bank or building society account number and sort code.
You will also need to know:
how much money you earn
how much you pay for rent and service changes.
Service charges are money you pay to your landlord, or the company who owns the building, to help to pay for looking after the building.
how much you pay for childcare (if you want help to pay for childcare)
how much money you have in savings and investments.
Investments are things which earn you money, like shares or a house which you rent to someone.
You will need to be able to say how your disability or health condition affects your work.
Find out how to do this on our Work Capability Assessments Easy Read page.
You will also need some ID, like a debit card, tenancy agreement, energy bill or water bill.
Step 4: Apply for Universal Credit
You can apply for Universal Credit online or by phone.
If you want some help to apply for Universal Credit, you can:
- ask someone you trust to help you
- go to the jobcentre and ask for help
- ask a local
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
who helps people with their benefits - use benefit calculators
If you want to claim online
You will need:
- your bank or building society account number and sort code
- an email address
- a phone
You will need to create an online account at: https://www.universal-credit.service.gov.uk/start
After you have created your account, you will need to answer all of the questions in 28 days or less.
If you do not answer all the questions in 28 days, you will have to start your claim again.
If you want to claim by phone, contact the Universal Credit helpline
- Phone: 0800 328 5644
- Textphone: 0800 328 1344
- Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 328 5644
Relay UK is for people who cannot hear or speak on the phone.
What happens after you have applied for Universal Credit?
You might have to wait for up to 5 weeks after you applied for Universal Credit to start to get the money.
After you have applied for Universal Credit, you will need to go to a meeting at your local jobcentre.
Read our
Easy Read
Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing.
page ‘The Universal Credit Jobcentre meeting’ to find out what will happen at the meeting.
This Easy Read was first published 06/10/2023
Last updated 06/10/2023