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You might be able to get a Budgeting Advance to help with things like:

• emergency household costs like replacing a broken cookerÌý
• money needed to get a job or staying in workÌý
• funeral costsÌý

What you can get

What you get will depend on how much you need. The smallest amount you can borrow is £100. You can get up to:

• £348 if you’re single
• £464 if you’re part of a couple
• £812 if you have children

Eligibility

To get a Budgeting Advance, you’ll need to either:

• have been getting Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or State Pension Credit for 6 months or more
• need the money to help you start a new job or stay in work

You will not be eligible if either:

• you’ve earned more than £2,600 (£3,600 together for couples) in the past 6 months
• you’ve not paid off any previous Budgeting Advance loans (you can only have one at a time)

How to apply

To apply, you can do any of the following:

• 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

Paying back your advance

You’ll pay your advance back through your Universal Credit payments. You’ll usually pay it back over 24 months, starting from your next Universal Credit payment.

If you’re struggling to repay an advance

If you cannot afford your advance repayments, you can ask for the amount you pay to change. To do 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 CreditÌý

If you’re no longer claiming Universal Credit you’ll 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, DWP Debt Management will be in touch to discuss repaying it. If you want to discuss your repayments you can call DWP Debt Management.