Universal Credit, Help to Claim

Universal Credit

Do you need help making your Universal Credit claim?

Universal Credit replaces 6 ‘means-tested’ benefits – these are benefits you can get if your income and savings are below a certain level.

Universal Credit works differently from other benefits – so if you’re moving from another benefit it’s important to know the differences.

The biggest differences are:

• you can get Universal Credit if you’re unemployed but also if you’re working
• you’ll get a single payment each month, rather than weekly or fortnightly
• instead of getting a separate housing benefit, your housing costs will be paid directly to you as part of your monthly Universal Credit payment
• the benefit is claimed and managed online. You will need an email account and access to the internet to make and maintain your claim.
• We can help you to set up an email account, manage your Universal Credit online account and develop your confidence when using online services at one of our free help to claim appointments.

Help to claim

Whether you should apply for Universal Credit instead of one of these benefits, depends on where you live and your circumstances – check if you can apply by calling our Help to Claim service.

Help to Claim is a dedicated service from Citizens Advice. It’s free, independent, confidential and impartial. Our trained advisers can help with things like how to gather evidence for your application or how to prepare for your first Jobcentre appointment.

You can contact an adviser through our free national Help to Claim phone service on 0800 144 8444 (Help to Claim enquiries only. Callers enquiring about any other issue will be advised to call Adviceline on 03444 111 444 .

Where can I get face to face help in making my claim?

Our specialist staff will assist you to make a claim. You can access this service by contacting our Whitehaven or Millom offices or attending one of our drop in advice sessions for further information.

For more about Universal Credit visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/