Universal Credit

For more information, visit the Parkinson’s UK website (last updated July 2025).

Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit for people of working age to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or cannot work.

Launched in 2013, Universal Credit is being phased in across the UK. It replaces the following 6 benefits, now called legacy benefits:

  • Housing Benefit
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income Support
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Child Tax Credit

Anyone making a new claim must apply for Universal Credit rather than the older benefits listed above. People on these benefits are being transferred to Universal Credit under ‘managed migration’.

Eligibility for Universal Credit

To claim Universal Credit, you need to meet the following basic conditions. You must:

  • be aged 18 or over (or 16 to 17 in certain cases)
  • be under State Pension age (couples where 1 is below pension age and the other over pension age can still claim Universal Credit)
  • be in Great Britain and not be subject to immigration control
  • not be in education (unless you’re claiming a disability benefit), and
  • have accepted a claimant commitment

In addition, you must meet the financial conditions:

  • You (and your partner, if you’re making a joint claim) must not have combined capital of more than £16,000, and
  • Your earnings or other income (and that of your partner, if making a joint claim) must not be too high for Universal Credit to be payable

Claiming Universal Credit

You should normally claim Universal Credit online on the government website website at the link below. If you’re unable to apply online or need help, contact the Universal Credit Helpline using the details provided at the link below.

Apply for Universal Credit

The initial interview

Once you’ve made your claim, you’ll need to participate in an interview. This is to confirm the information you gave when you made the claim and to discuss what you’ll need to do to receive the benefit.

At the interview a work coach will discuss your work prospects with you, and the support you may need to help you find work, or agree an exemption from looking for a job. The work coach will draw up a ‘claimant commitment’ outlining the responsibilities and work-related requirements that you must meet to keep getting the benefit in full. You’ll have to agree and sign this commitment. If you can’t show good reason for not fulfilling your claimant commitment then you’ll be sanctioned. You can ask for your commitment to be reviewed if you struggle to meet the commitments.

If you have a disability or health condition it may mean you’ll find it hard to attend or take part in the interview. You can ask the Jobcentre to make ‘reasonable adjustments’. For example, it may be possible to hold the interview somewhere you can get to more easily, or do the interview over the phone or at home. You may also want someone with you at the interview for support or assistance, such as a friend, relative or professional.

The Work Capability Assessment

If you have a health condition or disability that prevents you from working, or limits the amount of work you can do (like Parkinson’s) you may be:

  • able to get Universal Credit without needing to meet the work-related requirements
  • be eligible for an extra amount to be paid as part of your benefit

You’ll be assessed under the ‘Work Capability Assessment’. You’ll need to provide details of your health condition or disability when you apply online and you may need to complete a ‘capability for work’ questionnaire.

The Department for Work and Pensions decision-maker will use this to assess whether:

  • you have a ‘limited capability for work’ – in this case you won’t be expected to search for work, but you may have to fulfil some work-related requirements to do with getting ready for work
  • you have a ‘limited capability for work-related activity’ – in this case you won’t have to meet any work-related requirements and you’ll be eligible for the ‘limited capability for work-related activity’ element amount of Universal Credit (£423.27 a month).

Read more about the points system used to decide if you have a ‘limited capability for work’ and ‘limited capability for work-related activity’, and advice on filling in the capability for work questionnaire at the link below.

Work Capability Assessment Advice

Work-related requirements for Universal Credit

To qualify for Universal Credit, you and your partner may need to meet certain work-related conditions.

These are known as ‘requirements’ and are recorded in the claimant commitment drawn up by you and the work coach at your interview. Your benefit is likely to be reduced (‘sanctioned’) if you fail to meet a requirement.

The tasks you agree on will depend on your personal situation. In some circumstances, none of the work-related requirements will apply to you.

You don’t have to meet any of the work-related conditions if you:

  • have a limited capability for work-related activity. This is tested under the Work Capability Assessment
  • have regular and substantial caring responsibilities of 35 hours a week or more for a severely disabled person (you don’t necessarily need to be receiving Carer’s Allowance/Carer Support Payment). The person receiving the care must be paid 1 of the disability benefits at a sufficiently high amount
  • are a couple where 1 is over pension age. The person over pension age will be exempt from all the work-related requirements
  • are responsible for a child under the age of 1
  • are exempt because you’re a student
  • have been threatened with or experienced domestic violence in the last 6 months
  • can show exceptional circumstances.

If work-related requirements do apply, there are 4 different types of requirement that may be included in your claimant commitment, depending on your situation:

  • the work-focused interview requirement
  • the work-preparation requirement
  • the work-search requirement
  • the work-availability requirement

Read more about the 4 types of work-related requirements at the link below.

Work-related requirements

Amount of Universal Credit

The amount of Universal Credit you’re paid depends on your circumstances. It’s worked out on a monthly basis by comparing your financial needs with your existing income from other benefits and earnings.

Set amounts for different needs are added together to give a ‘maximum amount’ – the basic amount the law says you need to live on each month. Your maximum amount is made up of a ‘standard allowance’ and different ‘amounts’. From this figure, deductions are made for any earnings, other benefits you receive, debts from old benefits and arrears for utility costs and council tax – the resulting figure will be your Universal Credit for that month.

How is Universal Credit paid?

Universal Credit is automatically paid monthly in arrears. However you can ask for it to be paid more frequently. In Scotland and Northern Ireland you have an automatic right to be paid bi-monthly.

If you have a partner, you can choose which of you receives the payment.

It should normally take around 5-6 weeks to get your first payment of Universal Credit once you’ve completed your claim.

If you have difficulty budgeting at the beginning of your claim, you can ask for an advance payment, which you’ll have to repay.