What Universal Credit is
What Universal Credit is, what benefits it replaces, what happens if you're already getting one of the other benefits.
Universal Credit (UC) replaces six benefits and tax credits with a single monthly payment.
It is managed and paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and aims to make the welfare system for working age customers simpler.
Universal Credit replaces these benefits and tax credits:
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credits
- Working Tax Credits
If you already receive any of these benefits and tax credits, you'll continue to get them unless you have a change in your circumstances and your benefits need to be re-assessed. In that case, you need to make a new claim for Universal Credit.
If you already claim these six benefits or tax credits you do not need to do anything until DWP get in contact with you.
There are only some circumstances where people can make a new claim for Housing Benefit.
Apply for Universal Credit
Universal Credit and mixed age couples
