Universal Credit (UC) - When can I get Universal Credit (UC)?

When can I get Universal Credit?

Because of the number of people affected by Universal Credit the Government has decided to phase in the introduction between 2013 and 2017, with some groups expected to take longer than this.

When you claim Universal Credit will depend on where you live and whether you are making a new claim or you are being transferred from a benefit that is being replaced.

Universal Credit is being introduced in stages. It is available to single people, couples and families in some areas of the country. It has been rolled out nationally to all single jobseekers without children for new claims.  From the summer of 2016 it is gradually being rolled out to all claimant types of working age making new claims (apart from families with more than 2 children), but this is still only occurring in certain areas currently.

See our Universal Credit Timetable for further details and to see a list of Job centres currently taking claims for Universal Credit.

For those on benefits that are being replaced, when people start to be moved on to Universal Credit, this will be done in one of two ways:

Natural Migration - If you experience a significant change of circumstance that affects your benefit entitlement the opportunity will be taken to move you on to Universal Credit at that point

Managed Migration - If your circumstances don't change, once Universal Credit has been established in every area for new claims, the Department for Work and Pensions will begin to move people over to Universal Credit on a systematic basis

Updated 21 July 2016