Universal Credit
Advice for Decision Making (ADM)
The rules about Universal Credit are written within legal acts, regulations and explained in guidance for DWP decision makers called Advice for Decision Making (ADM).
- Advice for decision making: staff guide
- Universal Credit and landlords
- Universal Credit work allowances
- Universal Credit if you have a disability or health condition
- Universal Credit: different earning patterns and your payments
- Moving from Housing Benefit to Universal Credit
- Universal Credit and homeless people
- Universal Credit: Alternative Payment Arrangements
- Universal Credit: Landlord request for a managed payment or rent arrears deduction
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Guidance – House of Commons ‘Deposited papers’
This page contains universal credit guidance placed by the government in the House of Commons library deposited papers archive.
Visit Rightsnet at www.rightsnet.org.uk/resources/universal-credit-guidance
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Universal Credit Regs 2013
The Universal Credit Regulations 2013
Schedules to the regs:
- SCHEDULE 1 – Meaning of payments in respect of accommodation
- SCHEDULE 2 – Claimant treated as liable or not liable to make payments
- SCHEDULE 3 – Claimant treated as occupying or not occupying accommodation
- SCHEDULE 4 – Housing costs element for renters
- SCHEDULE 5 – Housing costs element for owner-occupiers
- SCHEDULE 6 – Assessment of whether a claimant has limited capability for work
- SCHEDULE 7 – Assessment of whether a claimant has limited capability for work and work-related activity
- SCHEDULE 8 – Circumstances in which a claimant is to be treated as having limited capability for work
- SCHEDULE 9 – Circumstances in which a claimant is to be treated as having limited capability for work and work-related activity
- SCHEDULE 10 – Capital to be disregarded
- SCHEDULE 11 – Application of ESA or JSA sanctions to universal credit
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Universal Credit: How to make a joint claim online
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DWP Guidance – Universal Credit and homeless people
Information about Universal Credit for homeless people, those at risk of homelessness and the organisations supporting them.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-homeless-people
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DWP Guidance – Universal Credit and prison leavers
Information for prison leavers, work coaches and probation officers about Universal Credit.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-prison-leavers
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Universal Credit and students
Guidance on claiming Universal Credit if you’re a student.
Universal Credit and students – GOV.UK
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CPAG Factsheets Students and benefits
- Benefits for young people in further education or training
- Benefits for disabled students
- Benefits and tax credits for students
- Parents claiming for young people in further education or training
- Universal credit for lone parent students
- Universal credit and students
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DWP Universal Credit Personal Budgeting Support and Alternative Payment Arrangements
Guidance UC87 – V5.0 March 2017
- Introduction
- What is Personal Budgeting Support?
- What are the elements of Personal Budgeting Support?
- How will money advice support UC claimants?
- What is the money advice process?
- What are Alternative Payment Arrangements?
- When can an Alternative Payment Arrangement be considered?
- When should Alternative Payment Arrangements not be offered?
- What are the key elements to consider?
- In what priority order will they be considered?
- Can a claimant appeal against an Alternative Payment Arrangement?
- When will Alternative Payment Arrangements be reviewed?
- Annex A
- Annex B
nesaf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UC87-UC-DA-WC-DM-APA-Guidance-Desk-Aid.pdf
Information on Managed Migration
- The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014
- ADM Chapter M7: Managed Migration Pilot and Transitional Protection
CPAG: UC managed migration rules
RevenueBenefits: Universal credit: Managed migration
UCNotes: Managed Migration
Constituency data: Universal Credit rollout
This dashboard has statistics on Universal Credit by constituency in Great Britain, including the Library’s estimate of how far caseload rollout has progressed.
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Universal Credit Policy papers and consultations
www.gov.uk/welfare/universal-credit#policy_and_engagement
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How to verify your identity for Universal Credit
If you want to claim Universal Credit you must verify your identity. This guide for claimants and people supporting them explains how to do that.
www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-verify-your-identity-for-universal-credit
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Universal Credit statistics
Move to Universal Credit statistics
www.gov.uk/government/collections/move-to-universal-credit-statistics
Stat-Xplore
The number of Universal Credit claimants includes those who have started Universal Credit (completed the Universal Credit claim process and accepted their Claimant Commitment) and have not had a closure of their claim recorded for this spell, up to the ‘count date’ (second Thursday in each month). A closure of their claim would be recorded either at the request of the individual or if their entitlement to Universal Credit ends, for example, if they no longer satisfy the financial conditions to receive Universal Credit as they have capital over £16,000.
People on Universal Credit
Universal Credit Research and statistics
www.gov.uk/welfare/universal-credit#research_and_statistics
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How to deal with a Universal Credit overpayment
This guide is for you if you have been overpaid Universal Credit. We want to help you work out if you have been overpaid, understand the ways in which the DWP can make you pay it back, and what to do if you disagree with it or cannot afford to pay back so much at a time. We will also show how to ask the DWP that they do not make you pay it back because you cannot afford it or because paying it back is making your physical or mental health worse.
www.advicenow.org.uk/guides/how-deal-universal-credit-overpayment
Waivers
In Chapter 8 of the Benefits Overpayment Recovery Guide, the DWP sets out the process for applying for a waiver, and factors that may be relevant to it, including –
- the debtor’s financial circumstances and those of their household;
- whether the recovery of the debt is impacting the debtor’s health or that of their family;
- the DWP’s conduct, including statements made by the DWP, and the circumstances surrounding how the overpayment arose;
- the debtor’s conduct and whether the debtor took steps to mitigate any overpayment, contact or notify the DWP, whether the debtor misrepresented or failed to disclose any matter, or if there was any fraudulent conduct;
- whether the debtor has relied on the overpayment to their detriment;
- whether the Department intended the claimant to have the money – for example, where the claimant was paid the wrong benefit but could have claimed a different benefit and received the same amount of money;
- whether the debtor can demonstrate that they did not benefit from the money that was paid; or
- any other factor which appears relevant to the decision maker, or which indicates recovery would not be in the public interest
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Working with Participants with complex needs and/or additional support requirements
When a claimant with complex needs contacts the DWP, their customer journey must be comparable in quality and outcome to those who are non-complex.
While working with a claimant, it may become clear that they need additional support. It is important to ask them and record what additional requirements they need to make sure these are available to the claimant every time they need them.
This will provide a claimant with access to products and services equal to other claimants and enable them to follow the standard claimant journey, if appropriate.
Home visits are available for claimants with complex needs, when all other attempts to contact them have failed. Home visits are requested in exceptional circumstances and should be considered
- when a claimant has been identified as being vulnerable or having complex needs due to health issues or unable to access normal channels of communication as an individual or through a friend, family member or third party stakeholder partner
- to safeguard claimants against sanctions where it is deemed they have a health condition which restricts them from leaving their home, this will help determine whether the claimant has fully understood their commitments and good reason can be gathered if appropriate
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