Apply for a Universal Credit advance or hardship payment
Get an advance on your first payment
If you need help to pay your bills or cover other costs before you get your first Universal Credit payment, you can apply to get an advance.
The amount you can get depends on your circumstances. The most you can get is the amount of your first estimated payment.
How to apply
You鈥檒l need to:
- explain why you need an advance
- verify your identity (you鈥檒l do this when you apply online or on the phone with a work coach)
- provide bank account details for the advance (talk to a Universal Credit contact at your local jobcentre or your work coach if you cannot open an account)
- explain any money or savings you have
To apply, you can:
- update your journal in your Universal Credit account
- ask a Universal Credit contact at your local jobcentre or your work coach
- call the Universal Credit helpline
Universal Credit helpline
Telephone: 0800 328 5644
Textphone: 0800 328 1344
(if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 328 5644
British Sign Language (BSL) if you鈥檙e on a computer - find out how to
Welsh language: 0800 328 1744
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
You鈥檒l usually find out the same day if you can get an advance.
If you need help
Call the Universal Credit helpline if you need help applying for an advance payment.
Paying back your advance
You must usually pay back the advance within 24 months. You usually start paying it back out of your first payment.
Example
Your first estimated payment is 拢344 and you get 拢344 as an advance.
You pay back your advance over 24 months, which is 拢14.33 per month. You鈥檒l get 拢329.67 on your first payment date - this is your first payment minus the bit you鈥檙e repaying (拢344 minus 拢14.33).
If you鈥檙e struggling to repay an advance
If you cannot afford your advance repayments, you can ask for your repayments to be delayed for 3 months. To request this, you can:
- update your journal in your Universal Credit account
- ask a Universal Credit contact at your local jobcentre or your work coach
- call the Universal Credit helpline
Repaying if you no longer claim Universal Credit聽
If you鈥檙e no longer claiming Universal Credit you鈥檒l still need to pay back your advance.
If you move to another benefit, the deductions will usually continue from your payments.
If you move off benefits, you鈥檒l get a letter from DWP Debt Management explaining how to repay and manage money you owe. You can pay back what you owe in full or set up monthly repayments.
If you want to discuss your repayments you can call DWP Debt Management.