Need extra financial help?
When you get Universal Credit you may be able to access more financial help.
Need extra financial help
What is it and who can get one?
Sometimes you’ll face unexpected expenses that you can’t afford.
You can apply for a Budgeting Advance to cover things like:
Yes - it’s an interest free loan, normally paid back over 12 months out of your Universal Credit, or over 24 months for advances made from December 2024.
How much can I borrow?
You can borrow from £100 up to:
You can’t get one if:
Apply on your online UC account or if you cannot access this, by ringing the UC helpline: 0800 328 5644.
Sometimes you’ll face unexpected expenses that you can’t afford.
You can apply for a Budgeting Advance to cover things like:
- A one-off item - eg replacing a broken fridge
- Work-related expenses - eg buying uniform or tools
- Unexpected expenses
- Repairs to your home
- Travel expenses
- Maternity expenses
- Funeral expenses
- Moving costs or rent deposit
- Essential items, like clothes.
Yes - it’s an interest free loan, normally paid back over 12 months out of your Universal Credit, or over 24 months for advances made from December 2024.
How much can I borrow?
You can borrow from £100 up to:
- £348 if you're single without children
- £464 if you're in a couple without children
- £812 if you have children.
You can’t get one if:
- You’ve not, for the last 6 months, been on Universal Credit or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance or a combination of these benefits.
- You have earned more than £2,600 in the past 6 months (or for a couple, more than £3,600). This doesn’t apply if you’re wanting a work-related expense.
- And if you have more than £1,000 savings then your loan will be reduced by however much savings you have over the £1,000.
- And you can’t get another one if you are still paying off a previous one.
Apply on your online UC account or if you cannot access this, by ringing the UC helpline: 0800 328 5644.
What is it and who can get one?
You can apply for a Change in Circumstances Advance if you need some money to tide you over:
You’ll get half of the extra Universal Credit your award is expected to increase by getting due to the change in your circumstances.
Do I have to pay it back?
Yes – it’s a loan that is paid back - over 6 months or less.
How do I apply?
Apply on your online UC account, or if you cannot access this, by phoning the UC helpline: 0800 328 5644.
You can apply for a Change in Circumstances Advance if you need some money to tide you over:
- Where there is a delay in you getting your Universal Credit payment, or
- Where your Universal Credit is about to increase significantly because you’ve had a change in circumstance such as finishing work, becoming a couple or having a baby,
- But the DWP also have to consider whether there is a serious risk of damage to the health or safety you or any member of their family. And that you have no other sources of support, such as other income, savings, wages etc.
You’ll get half of the extra Universal Credit your award is expected to increase by getting due to the change in your circumstances.
Do I have to pay it back?
Yes – it’s a loan that is paid back - over 6 months or less.
How do I apply?
Apply on your online UC account, or if you cannot access this, by phoning the UC helpline: 0800 328 5644.
Depending on your income and circumstances you can apply for Council Tax Reduction. This is a reduction in your Council Tax bill. Claim from your Local Authority / council.
It’s also worth checking if you’re entitled to a Council Tax Discount, for example due to being the only adult in the household, or one of the adults is severely mentally impaired, or your home has been adapted for a severely disabled person, or everyone in the house is a student. Talk to your Local Authority / Council if you think this may apply to you.
It’s also worth checking if you’re entitled to a Council Tax Discount, for example due to being the only adult in the household, or one of the adults is severely mentally impaired, or your home has been adapted for a severely disabled person, or everyone in the house is a student. Talk to your Local Authority / Council if you think this may apply to you.
What is it?
If you get Universal Credit and you need help with work-related expenses to help you get, or keep, your job, you can ask your Work Coach if you would qualify for help from the Flexible Support Fund.
Examples of things this will cover include:
You need to contact your Work Coach, normally through your journal on your online UC claim. If you don’t have access to this phone the UC helpline: 0800 328 5644.
The Work Coach doesn’t have to pay this – they have a limited pot of money so they will need to be convinced that you need this to remove barriers to working or progressing in work.
If you get Universal Credit and you need help with work-related expenses to help you get, or keep, your job, you can ask your Work Coach if you would qualify for help from the Flexible Support Fund.
Examples of things this will cover include:
- Travel costs to attend a work trial, work experience or training for work.
- Childcare costs when on training or at an interview, or when starting work and unable to make your first childcare payment.
- Travel costs for training you have to attend
- Appropriate interview clothing
- Clothes to start work (not uniform or safety equipment)
- To remove barriers to start work
You need to contact your Work Coach, normally through your journal on your online UC claim. If you don’t have access to this phone the UC helpline: 0800 328 5644.
The Work Coach doesn’t have to pay this – they have a limited pot of money so they will need to be convinced that you need this to remove barriers to working or progressing in work.
If you get Universal Credit and you pay rent, then if you’re struggling to pay your rent you can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment.
For example you might:
Apply to your Local Authority's / council’s DHP section, or speak to a Benefits Adviser.
See Discretionary Housing Payment for more information.
For example you might:
- Have a Bedroom Tax deduction, or
- Have high expenses due to a disability, or
- Have to pay two sets of rent while you’re in the middle of moving home.
Apply to your Local Authority's / council’s DHP section, or speak to a Benefits Adviser.
See Discretionary Housing Payment for more information.
All children in primary 1 to 5, at schools run by their local council or funded by the Scottish Government, can get free school lunches during term-time. Your financial circumstances do not matter.
For other children, the local council can grant your child/children free school meals if you’re on Universal Credit and, in your last Assessment Period, your monthly earned income is not more than £850 (before any work allowance).
You can get this help if you’re on Universal Credit and have no earned income.
If you work and have earnings you are still entitled to free prescriptions and health care costs if you have earned income in your last Assessment Period of
- Less than £435 or
- Less than £935 if you have a child or have been assessed as having a Limited Capability for Work or a Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity
- Free NHS prescriptions and free dental treatment
- Free wigs
- Free fabric supports
- Free eye tests
- Vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses
- Help with the cost of travel for NHS treatment or referral by a doctor or dentist.
To receive a Funeral Support Payment (FSP) a claimant must:
• Be getting Universal Credit* (certain other benefits also count)
• Live in Scotland
• Be arranging a funeral for someone who lived in the UK
• The funeral is being held in the UK, EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
• Be claiming within 6 months of the date of their funeral
• Be responsible for the funeral (see below)
* If the claimant is waiting to hear about their application for Universal Credit, they can still apply for a Funeral Support Payment, but they won't hear the outcome until after the UC has been assessed.
Being responsible for the Funeral
To be responsible for a funeral, the claimant must be both:
• Named on the funeral bill.
• The nearest relation to the person who died.
This is usually a partner, child, parent or sibling.
How Much?
The average payment is approximately £1800. It will not usually cover the full cost of a funeral.
The things it can cover are:
• Burial or cremation costs, these differ dependent on the area the person dies in.
• The claimant's travel costs for arranging the funeral or travelling to and from it
• Funeral costs, up to £1257.75, to cover things like the service or the funeral cars.
• Transport costs to move the body if it has to be moved over 50 miles.
• Any document costs i.e. death certificates or medical certificates.
• Medical costs i.e. removal of a pacemaker.
What can affect how much the claimant gets?
The payment will be less if the person who died left any money which could cover some, or all, of the funeral expenses.
This includes:
• Funds belonging to the person who died
• Insurance policies
• Funeral plans
• Money due from pensions or burial clubs
Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods are payments that help towards the costs of being pregnant or looking after a child.
You may be able to get Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods if you or your partner meet all these conditions:
• live in Scotland
• are pregnant or have a child who’s the right age for a payment
• are the main person looking after the child
• get Universal Credit
The vouchers are by way of a prepaid card that can be spent on healthy foods, each grant is awarded on a 4 weekly basis and credited to the card.
The amount paid onto the prepaid card will change depending on the age of the child.
The Best Start Foods payments are:
• £5.30 per week (£21.20 paid once every 4 weeks) during pregnancy. (The payment amount is per pregnancy, ie. it is the same whether pregnant with one baby, twins or triplets.)
• £10.60 per week (£42.40 paid once every 4 weeks) from the child being born until they are one year old
• £5.30 per week (£21.20 paid once every 4 weeks) from the child’s first birthday until they reach their third birthday.
The Scottish Welfare Fund is made up of 2 different grants. Both are available to those getting Universal Credit.
• Crisis Grant - to help with an unexpected emergency like a needing help with heating costs, fire, flood or losing your job.
• Community Care Grant - to help you or someone you care for live independently for instance if you are leaving prison, need support to stay out of care, need help to keep a settled home, escaping domestic abuse or where a child’s health is at risk.
Contact your Local Council to find out how to apply.
What are they?
When you claim Universal Credit you have to wait over five weeks for your first payment, because that is the way it is designed.
But you can apply on your UC account or ask your Work Coach, at your new claim interview, for an Advance Payment to tide you over.
How much is it?
You can have up to the full amount of what you’re likely to get (ie unless your circumstances change) in your first Universal Credit payment. BUT remember…
Do I have to pay it back?
Yes – you will normally pay it back over 24 months (or you can pay it back earlier) – it comes straight out of your Universal Credit payment.
So if you were given an advance of £1200, that’s £50 less money every month for two years
See Can I get an Advance Payment? for more information.
When you claim Universal Credit you have to wait over five weeks for your first payment, because that is the way it is designed.
But you can apply on your UC account or ask your Work Coach, at your new claim interview, for an Advance Payment to tide you over.
How much is it?
You can have up to the full amount of what you’re likely to get (ie unless your circumstances change) in your first Universal Credit payment. BUT remember…
Do I have to pay it back?
Yes – you will normally pay it back over 24 months (or you can pay it back earlier) – it comes straight out of your Universal Credit payment.
So if you were given an advance of £1200, that’s £50 less money every month for two years
See Can I get an Advance Payment? for more information.