Can I get universal credit?

If you’re out of work, or working and on a low income, you may be able to claim universal credit.

Find out if you qualify.

What is universal credit?

Universal credit is a benefit for people who don’t have much money coming in. You don’t necessarily need to be out of work to be eligible.

It was introduced to replace these other benefits:

income-based jobseeker’s allowance
income-related employment and support allowance
housing benefit
child tax credit
working tax credit
income support

Who is eligible for universal credit?

You may be able to get universal credit if:

you live in the UK
you're out of work or on a low income
you're over 18 (although there are some situations where 16 and 17 year olds can claim)
you (and any partner you live with) are under state pension age
you (and any partner you live with) have less than £16,000 in savings

How much can I earn before I lose universal credit?

If you’re in paid work and claiming universal credit, you might be entitled to a work allowance.

A work allowance is the amount of money you can earn before your universal credit payment starts to drop.

You’ll get a work allowance if:

you're responsible for dependent children and/or
the amount you can work is limited by an illness or a disability

If you’re entitled to a work allowance, you can earn up to the threshold before your universal credit payment will be affected.

Once your earnings exceed the threshold, your universal credit payment will drop by 55p for every £1 you earn above the threshold. Monthly work allowances for 2024-25 are set at:

£673 if your universal credit doesn’t include housing support
£404 if your universal credit includes housing support

What if I don’t qualify for a work allowance?

If you don’t qualify for a work allowance, your universal credit payment will drop by 55p for every £1 you earn.

Universal credit if you’re 16 or 17

Although you can’t generally get universal credit if you’re 16 or 17, you might be able to claim if you meet all the standard conditions and one of the following:

you have a child or are expecting a baby in less than 11 weeks
you can’t work due to a disability or an illness
you're a carer for a severely disabled person
your parents have died or you can’t live with them

Universal credit if you’re in full-time education

You can’t generally get universal credit if you’re in full-time education or training. But you may be able to claim if any of the following apply:

you're currently fostering a child
you're currently looking after a child under the age of 16 (or under 20 if they’re also in full-time education or training)
you've reached state pension age but the partner you live with is below state pension age
you were under 21 when your course started, you’re not in higher education and your parents have died or you can’t live with them
you get attendance allowance, personal independence payment, disability living allowance, adult disability payment or child disability payment and you were judged to have limited capability for work
before you started your course
you're waiting to return to a course after an illness or time spent caring for someone
you've had a migration notice telling you to move to universal credit

Studying and living with a partner

If you’re in full-time education or training and you live with a partner, you may be able to get universal credit if they:
aren't in full-time education
are in full-time education and entitled to universal credit
are in full-time education, and one of you is responsible for a child

Universal credit if you’re not a UK citizen

If you’re not a UK citizen, you’ll only be able to get universal credit if your immigration status allows you to claim public funds. In some cases, you may also need a ‘right to reside’.