Universal Credit

Universal Credit has been introduced to help simplify the benefit system and give claimants more control over how their money is budgeted.

How Universal Credit might affect you

• Housing Benefit is being replaced for working age customers. Universal Credit is paid directly to the claimant. This means that under normal circumstances Housing Benefit recipients will no longer have their benefit paid directly to their landlord or receive their benefit in the form of a rent rebate from the Council.
• Under Universal Credit, couples living in the same household will make a joint claim for the benefit payment, meaning they will no longer receive individual payments of money for different needs.
• Unlike the current fortnightly payment of some benefits, Universal Credit will be paid monthly.
• Claimants will be able to make more decisions about how they run their household budgets, and will be responsible for ensuring they can make rent payments.

More information is available on the Gov.uk website - Universal Credit.