Do you need to know when you will receive your first Universal Credit payment dates will be paid and how Universal Credit benefit is paid to you.
Find out below when you will receive your first Universal Credit payment dates and how Universal Credit is paid. Universal Credit is usually paid monthly.
Universal Credit full digital service has now been rolled out to all areas of the country.
If you are not receiving any of the following benefits or you try to make a new claim for any of them you will be required to claim Universal Credit instead.
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
To find out if you can claim Universal Credit and to check your options you can:
- Complete a benefits check using a Benefits Calculator which tells you on the Results page;
- Look for a local advisor like Citizens Advice Bureau
If you don’t want to make a new claim you don't currently have to go on to Universal Credit. It is only from July 2019 onwards that the DWP will start transferring people from the existing benefits system to Universal Credit. This is known as Managed Migration
Your universal credit payment first assessment period will start on the date of your claim. You will usually receive your first payment 7 days after the end of your first assessment period. Universal Credit will then usually be paid on the same date each month. The amount will not change to take account of 31, 30, or 28-day months.
Backdated Universal Credit Payments
Backdating your Universal Credit. You can apply to get a Universal Credit payment to cover up to 1 month before you start your claim - this is called 'backdating'. You'll need a good reason for not claiming earlier - if you're in a couple, you'll both need a good reason.
Universal Credit Fortnightly Payments
If you're paid once a month on the same date and nothing changes in your earnings, then your Universal Credit amount should stay the same. If you're paid weekly, every 2 weeks; or every 4 weeks, you'll receive more than one set of wages during some assessment periods.
