Universal Credit payments
If you are a new Universal Credit claimant, you should receive your first payment around five weeks after the date you make your claim. This is made up of one calendar month (since Universal Credit is paid a month in arrears) plus a further seven days for the payment.
Further information about Universal Credit payments
- Your rent will be paid to you and not your landlord but if you are a private tenant the DWP should give you the option of paying housing costs to your landlord
- You are responsible for paying your rent to your landlord. You will have to manage your benefit to make sure you pay the rent on time or you may lose your home
- Housing costs will be paid into a bank or credit union account or other account
- If you have difficulty paying your rent contact your landlord before you get into debt
Additional payments
If you were receiving Housing Benefit and you make a new claim for Universal Credit, you will continue to get Housing Benefit for the first two weeks of your Universal Credit claim - as well as any award of housing costs with your Universal Credit.
If you move from income-related benefits to Universal Credit you will receive an additional 2 weeks payment of your Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
Advance payments
If you make a new claim for Universal Credit you will be able to access up to one month’s worth of Universal Credit within five days of making your claim via an interest free advance.
The amount you can borrow will be the same as your first estimated Universal Credit monthly payment.
The advance payment is a loan that will have to be repaid over a period of 12 months.
Repayments will be automatically deducted from your future Universal Credit payments.
Find out more about Advance Payments
