You can also use the online ‘journal’ to communicate with your work coach (see below) and the Universal Credit office while you’re applying and once you begin to receive payments.
You don’t need to apply for each individual element; your entitlement to these will be decided by the information you give in your application. It’s important, though, to be aware of all the elements available to you when you apply.
If you think you haven’t been given an element you’re entitled to, you can appeal this decision.
What is the ‘journal’?
This is an online portal through which you can manage everything to do with your Universal Credit claim. Initially it has information about where you are with your application and any upcoming appointments or meetings.
It will also show you a breakdown of what you’re entitled to and the date of your next payment. You can send messages to your work coach (see next section) using the journal too.
During your application, you may receive messages asking you additional questions, so that your entitlement can be accurately decided on.
How will I be assessed?
Once you’ve submitted your initial application, you’ll be asked to attend an interview at your local job centre.
You’ll need to take with you documents that prove your identity (such as your passport or your driver’s licence), your date of birth (your birth certificate) and your address (such as an energy bill). If you are unfit for work, you’ll also need to take evidence of this (such as a ‘fit note’ from your GP).
A further ‘work search interview’ will then be arranged following your first interview, or on another day. At the work search interview, you’ll meet a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) adviser called a ‘work coach’.
They will discuss your work prospects and the support you need. A ‘claimant commitment’ will then be drawn up, which is a record of any conditions (or ‘requirements’) you’ll have to meet to continue receiving Universal Credit in full.
This can include requirements like looking for work. If you have a limited capability for work, you will need to go through a Work Capability Assessment. You can ask your work coach to suspend any job-seeking requirements until after this assessment.
How is Universal Credit paid?
Universal Credit is paid monthly. It won’t necessarily be at the end of a calendar month; your payment date will depend on when you originally claimed. It’s paid in arrears, which means you will receive your monthly payment at the end of that month.
It can take five weeks or more to receive your first Universal Credit payment.
This can of course cause you financial difficulty if you’ve previously been claiming one of the legacy benefits, or if you’re claiming Universal Credit because you’re in urgent need of financial assistance.
If you are facing financial hardship because of this five-week wait, you can request a Universal Credit advance payment. You can do this via your online journal, by speaking to your work coach, or by calling the Universal Credit helpline.
You can also claim this advance if you’ve experienced a change in your circumstances and are waiting for your payment to be increased to reflect this. If the monthly payment schedule does not work for you, you can ask for your payment frequency to be increased.
This is at the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) discretion in exceptional circumstances.
Do I have to claim Universal Credit if I’m currently receiving a legacy benefit?
You can continue to receive legacy benefits if you claimed them before the Universal Credit full service was introduced in your area. But you cannot make new claims to legacy benefits once the full Universal Credit service is available.
If you decide to claim Universal Credit, any legacy benefits in payment at that time will stop.
If your circumstances change, or you want to claim a different benefit that has been phased out, whether you have to claim Universal Credit will depend on a number of things, including where you live.
It’s a good idea to get independent advice if you don’t know whether to claim Universal Credit or not. You can also use the Universal Credit Info tool at the beginning of this factsheet.
When will everyone be moved over to Universal Credit?
The DWP is due to begin the ‘managed migration’ of claimants receiving legacy benefits to Universal Credit in July 2019.
The DWP has predicted that by March 2022, everyone who was previously claiming one of the income-related legacy benefits will have moved over to Universal Credit.
Should I wait to be moved to Universal Credit or claim early?
If you’re able to claim Universal Credit in your area, but your circumstances haven’t changed, you can still put in a claim to Universal Credit.
There are benefits to waiting for the ‘managed migration’ to begin.
If you do, you should be entitled to ‘transitional protection’. This means that if you’re entitled to a smaller payment under Universal Credit than you were under your legacy benefits, you should receive a ‘top-up’ payment, ensuring you’ll still receive the same amount per month.
Over time, it is likely that this transitional payment will be lost through reassessments or changes to the benefit. But in the short term, it may be less disruptive financially to wait for the managed migration.