Check if a change affects your Universal Credit

You should tell the DWP if you leave a job or get a new one - even if it's voluntary work and you don't get paid.

Earning more could reduce your Universal Credit, but it might also reduce what work-related activity you need to do.

There isn't a fixed number of working hours that mean you'll stop getting Universal Credit. Find out more about getting a job or pay increase on Universal Credit.

If you lose a job your Universal Credit can increase, but you might need to spend more time looking for work. Your Universal Credit could also be stopped or reduced if you left the job without a good reason - this is called a 'sanction'. Check what you can do if you get a sanction.

When you're employed you don't need to tell the DWP about changes in your earnings - for example if you get a pay rise or do more hours. The DWP will get this information from HMRC.

If you're self-employed you'll need to report your income and outgoings each month.

Tell the DWP if you or your partner:

• changes your bank details

• claims any new benefits (even if they're not being paid yet) - this can reduce your Universal Credit payments

• stops getting a benefit - this can change your Universal Credit payments

• gets a one-off payment - for example if you inherit some money or are paid compensation

• gets new income that isn't from work - not everything is taken into account, but it's worth telling the DWP just in case

You should also tell the DWP if there are any changes to your savings or other investments. These are called your ‘capital’.

If you have more than £6,000 in capital your Universal Credit payments will start to go down.

If you have more than £16,000 in capital you'll no longer be eligible for Universal Credit.

Check how much Universal Credit you'll get.

Tell the DWP if:

• your rent goes up or down - this can change how much Universal Credit you're paid for housing

• you move home

• someone moves out of your home

• someone moves into your home - for example if they rent a room

• you or someone in your household goes to prison

You should also report any time you'll be spending any time outside the UK. Your Universal Credit claim can continue for up to a month, but you'll still need to complete your work-related activities. If you can't, your payment might be stopped or reduced - called a 'sanction'.

If you move home

Your Universal Credit payments might change if your rent has gone up or down - check how much Universal Credit you'll get. Your next payment will be based on your new address, even if you were still at your old address for part of that month.

Always tell the Jobcentre you've moved - they'll need your new address. You might also need to go to a different Jobcentre and have a new work coach.

Getting mail redirected to your new address

If you get Universal Credit you can pay less money to get your mail redirected - this is called a ‘concessionary discount’. Find out how to get a discount on mail redirection on Royal Mail’s website.

Y​ou'll need to tell the DWP if you move in with or split up with your partner.

You move in with your partner

If you were both getting Universal Credit, you’ll  both need to report that you’ve moved in with a partner. 

You won't need to start a new Universal Credit claim but you’ll need to link your account to your partner’s. You can do this when you log in to your Universal Credit account. If you can’t see how to do this or you don’t have an online account, contact your work coach. 

If you were getting Universal Credit but your partner wasn’t, they’ll need to open an account and link it to yours - this turns it into a joint claim. You’ll keep getting your payments on the same day each month.

Find out more about linking accounts and starting a Universal Credit claim.

You'll get paid a different amount of Universal Credit as a couple - check how much Universal Credit you'll get.

If one of you is getting Pension Credit or any of the benefits Universal Credit replaces, those payments might stop. The benefits being replaced are:

• Housing Benefit

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)

• Child Tax Credit

• Working Tax Credit

• Income Support

You can check if your other benefits will stop when you move in with your partner.

If you split up with your partner

Your Universal Credit claim will continue. Your next Universal Credit payment will be on the same day of the month but will be for a single person. This changes how much Universal Credit you get.

You should also tell the DWP about any other changes as a result of splitting up - like changes to address.

Tell the DWP who's responsible for any children

The person responsible for any children will be whoever the child normally lives with. If the child normally lives with more than one person, or you can't agree who should claim, the DWP will make their own decision.

If the DWP make their own decision they'll base it on where the child usually lives and who makes day-to-day decisions.

If you're still living with your ex-partner

You should still report that you've split up - you should still be able to change to separate Universal Credit claims.

You'll need to tell the DWP that you have 'separate households' even though you share an address. Explain how you're no longer living as a couple - for example if you're cooking separately, have separate finances and don't spend time together.

The DWP might also ask why you're still living together - for example if you can't afford to move out.

Make sure the DWP knows how many children you're responsible for. Tell them if you have a baby, adopt or start fostering a child - this can increase your Universal Credit payment or change what work-related activities you need to do.

A child is anyone under 16, or someone under 20 who's in full-time, non-advanced education, for example at school or college.

You can get extra money for 1 or 2 children. You won’t usually get extra money for a third child unless they were born before 6 April 2017.  If your third child was born on or after 6 April 2017 you should still tell the DWP - in some cases you might still get extra money. It's worth checking how much Universal Credit you'll get.

You should tell the DWP if any of your children:

• are disabled

• leave full-time education

• leave home

• go to prison

• are looked after by a local authority - including if the local authority arranges for them to live with family or friends

If a child leaves home it's worth them checking if they're eligible for Universal Credit themselves.

If your child leaves home or education, you’ll stop getting extra money for them. If you were affected by the 2 child rule and you still have 2 children or more living with you, you should get money for both of them instead.

Tell the DWP if your child is registered blind or becomes entitled to one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance

• Personal Independence Payment

• Child Disability Payment

• Adult Disability Payment

You can get an extra amount of Universal Credit called a disabled child addition. Check how much disabled child addition you can get. 

If your child stops getting one of these benefits or the amount they get changes, you should also tell the DWP.

If you're working, you should report what you pay for childcare each month, as you can claim back some of these costs. You can report them using your online account. If you don't have an online account you'll need to call the Universal Credit helpline:

Find out more about getting childcare payments under Universal Credit.

Tell the DWP if you, your partner or any of your children start or stop full-time education or training.

For someone under 19 you should also tell them about starting or stopping a part-time advanced education course, such as teacher training.

If you start full-time education you'll stop getting Universal Credit unless at least one of these exceptions applies:

• you're old enough to get Pension Credit and you live with a partner who's below Pension Credit age

• you get Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment or Pension Age Disability Payment - and the DWP have said you have 'limited capability for work'

• you look after a child under 16, or under 20 if they're also in full-time education or training

• you're waiting to return to a course after taking time off because of illness or caring responsibilities

• you're a foster parent and have a child placed with you

• you're under 21 (or are 21 and were under 21 when your course started), not in higher education, and you don't have parental support

Not having parental support means your parents have died or you can't live with them. For example, you wouldn't have parental support if your relationship has broken down or living with them would put your health at risk.

If you live with your partner

You can also keep getting Universal Credit during full-time education if you live with your partner and they:

• aren't in full-time education

• are also in full-time education, but they're entitled to Universal Credit while studying

• are also in full-time education, and one of you is responsible for a child or is a foster parent

You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.

Your Universal Credit payments are calculated each month - this is known as an ‘assessment period’. Your payments will stop at the end of your current assessment period and you should claim Pension Credit if:

• you don’t have a partner and you reach State Pension age

• you’ve got a partner and both of you have reached State Pension age

If you claim Pension Credit, your Universal Credit and Pension Credit might overlap and you'll get both at the same time. This is because you’ll get Pension Credit from the date you reached State Pension age and your Universal Credit will still be paid until the end of your current assessment period.

Check if you can get Pension Credit.

If only one of you has reached State Pension age

You and your partner can still get Universal Credit. Whoever has reached State Pension age should also claim:

• their State Pension

• any other pensions they might have, for example a workplace or personal pension

If you or your partner claims any pensions you have, your Universal Credit will reduce. This means you’ll get less Universal Credit, but any pensions you have should make up the difference.

Your Universal Credit will stop when you both reach State Pension age. You should check if you can get Pension Credit instead.

If one partner can't get Universal Credit because of their immigration status, the rules for the other partner are the same as for a single person.

Tell the DWP if you:

• get ill

• are injured in a way that makes it harder to look for work

• go into or leave hospital - or your partner does

• go into or leave a care home - or your partner does

• have an illness caused by pregnancy

• start treatment for cancer with chemotherapy or radiotherapy

• have a terminal illness

If you're ill for more than 7 days you'll need to get a fit note and add it to your online Universal Credit account.

You can get a fit note from the following healthcare professionals:

• your GP or a doctor at a hospital

• a registered nurse

• a pharmacist

• an occupational therapist

• a physiotherapist

Your fit note will be either printed or digital. If you’re not sure which kind you’ll get and how you’ll get it, check with the healthcare professional.

If you get a printed fit note, check that the healthcare professional has signed it.

If you get a digital fit note, check that it includes the healthcare professional’s name.

If the healthcare professional hasn't either signed your fit note or included their name, it could be rejected by the DWP and you might have to get a new one.

Your fit note is free if you’ve been ill for more than 7 days when you ask for it.

You should always keep your fit note - you might have to pay for a replacement if you lose or delete it. You can give the DWP a copy or take a photo of it to upload online.

Contact the Universal Credit helpline if you can’t add your fit note to your account. 

If you're ill for more than 14 days

This counts as a long-term illness. You won't need to work if you can show you have 'limited capability for work'. You might also get an extra amount in your Universal Credit.

You might need to fill in a questionnaire about your health and go to a medical assessment. This can take a while, so ask your work coach to suspend your work-related activities in the meantime.

Ask to change your claimant commitment if health problems mean you can't do all your work activities. It's worth doing even for a small change, for example if regular doctor's appointments mean you have 2 hours fewer a week to look for work.

If you’re self employed and temporarily sick

If you’re too sick to work and it affects your ability to make a profit, call the DWP and ask them to treat you as not being in ‘gainful self employment’ while you’re ill.  

If you're not in gainful self-employment, your Universal Credit payment should be higher. This is because the DWP can't apply the 'minimum income floor'. This is what the DWP expect you to earn each month - they use it to work out your payment.

Find out more about the minimum income floor and how it affects your payment.

If your health improves

You should tell the DWP if: 

• you have ‘limited capacity for work’ or ‘limited capacity for work related activity’

• you’re no longer too sick to work

You'll need to tell the DWP about the death of:

• your partner

• your child - if you're claiming Universal Credit because you're under 18 and responsible for a child

• someone you were caring for

• anyone over 18 and living with you

You can usually use the Tell Us Once service to tell government departments about a death quickly and easily - use the Tell Us Once service on GOV.UK. You can also ask your work coach for a break from job hunting if a member of your family has died.

If you were getting the carer element of Universal Credit for someone who has died, you’ll need to tell the DWP directly that you’re no longer a carer.

You can only keep getting Universal Credit if your immigration status lets you claim public funds. In some situations you must also still have a ‘right to reside’.

You can claim public funds if you have any of the following:

• British or Irish citizenship

• settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme

• indefinite leave - unless you came to the UK on an adult dependent relative visa

• refugee status or humanitarian protection

• right of abode

If you have pre-settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme, you can claim public funds - but you also need to show you have a right to reside to get Universal Credit. Check if you have a right to reside.

If you’ve applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re waiting for a decision,  you can claim public funds - but you also need to show you have a right to reside to get  Universal Credit. Check if you have a right to reside.

If you have any other immigration status, check if your immigration status lets you claim public funds.

You should tell the DWP as soon as you can.

If you’ve become a carer, you could get extra money if you look after a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. Check if you can get extra money because you're a carer. You'll need to check section 2, 'Work out what other amounts you can get'.

If you’ve stopped caring for someone, you’ll stop getting the extra money.