UK Life Advice

General Benefits

Universal Credit - Universal Credit is a means-tested payment for people over 18 but under State Pension age who are on a low income or out of work. In some circumstances you can claim if you are 16 or 17, in full-time training or a full-time student.

Child Benefit - Child Beenfit is a payment to the adult reponsible for caring for children under 16 or up to 20 and still in full-time education.

Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit) & Pension Credit (Savings Credit) - Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a means-tested payment for people over 18 but under State Pension age who are on a low income or out of work. In some circumstances you can claim if you are 16 or 17, in full-time training or a full-time student. Universal Credit replaced Job Seekers Allowance (Income-Based), Child Tax Credit, working Tax Credit, Employment Support Allowance (Income-Related), Income Support and Housing Benefit into one non-taxable monthly payment and adminstered by the Department of Work and Pensions.

You'll usually have to apply for Universal Credit online. The first thing you need to do is set up an online account - you'll use this to apply and manage your Universal Cedit application and claim.

If you are in full-time education with no dependent children or have savings in that exceed £16,000 then you will not be eligible for Universal Credit.

If you are unemployed and off-work due to sickness or illness then you will be required to attend the job-centre to attend sessions with a job coach, failure to attend can result in your Universal Credit being sanctioned.

Child Benefit

You get Child Benefit if you’re responsible for bringing up a child who is under 16 or up to 20 and still in full-time education. Child Benefit is usally paided every 4 weeks, you will get a specific allowance dependent on if it your first child or any subsquent children. You will get £24 a week for your first child and £15.90 a week for any children after that

You can not got child benefit for a child who is over 16, left full time education or training and works more than 24 hours a week, is in hospital or residential care and will be there longer than 12 weeks or has been in prison or custody during the last 8 weeks.

You will need to make a claim for child benefit online through the gov.uk website and payments are administred by the HMRC. If there any changes in circumstances then you must inform the HMRC otherwise you could be forced to pay the money back.

Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit)

Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit) is a mean-tested non-taxable benefit that gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges. You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home.

As it is a mean-tested benefit, Income is assessed as the amount you have coming in each week after any tax or National Insurance is deducted. For a couple, incomes are added together.

You will need to make a claim for Pension Credit online through the gov.uk website and payments are administred by the Pension Service. If there any changes in circumstances then you must inform the HMRC otherwise you could be forced to pay the money back.

Pension Credit (Savings Credit)

Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit) is a non mean-tested non-taxable benefit that gives you extra money to households that have made significant payments to national insurance and are over State Pension age and on a low income.

You will need to make a claim for Pension Credit online through the gov.uk website and payments are administred by the Pension Service.