What are Universal Credit advance payments?

It’s important to get free debt advice if you’ve missed a payment, worried you will or are facing any emergency issues, including:

• being contacted by bailiffs 

• receiving a court summons

• having your gas or electricity cut off  

• having your home, car or goods repossessed.

Use our  Debt advice locator tool  to find free and confidential debt advice online, over the phone or near to where you live. 

A debt adviser will: 

• treat everything you say in confidence 

• never judge you or make you feel bad about your situation 

• suggest ways of dealing with debts that you might not know about

• check you’ve applied for all the benefits and entitlements available to you. 

Advance payments are just one way to get help if you’re claiming Universal Credit. As you’ll get less until the advance is repaid, there might be other ways to get the help you need, including grants you won’t need to pay back.

For full information and step-by-step help, see our other guides:

• Help managing your money while waiting for your first Universal Credit payment

• Help with the cost of living.

Universal Credit is calculated monthly and paid in arrears. This means you might need to wait up to five weeks to get the money before it then becomes a monthly payment.

If you’ll struggle to get by while waiting, you can ask for up to a full month’s payment to be paid early. This is called a Universal Credit advance payment, or advance loan in Northern Ireland. 

Your future Universal Credit payments will then be reduced over the next two years to repay the amount you took early. In other words, it’s an interest-free loan.

For more information on how Universal Credit is calculated, see our guide How much is Universal Credit?

You can ask for an advance if you’re waiting for your first Universal Credit payment. After this, you can only request an advance if your circumstances change and your next Universal Credit payment is due to be higher.  

If you’ve been claiming Universal Credit for at least six months, or you need the money to help you get or keep a job, you might be able to get a Budgeting Advance instead, a different payment. This is an interest-free loan to help pay for essential or unexpected expenses. 

See our guide Budgeting Advances and Budgeting Loans for more information.

You can ask for your full Universal Credit payment or a lower amount, either in one go or in multiple requests. 

For example, you could ask for a part payment to start with, then apply again if you need more money before your regular Universal Credit payment has arrived.

Be careful to only ask for what you need as you will have to repay the loan from future Universal Credit payments.

You should be told if you’ve been accepted for an advance on the same day as you apply. 

The money is then usually paid into your bank account within three working days – or the same day if you can’t wait.

Repayments for your advance will be made automatically for you, using money from your future Universal Credit payments. 

You’ll usually start repaying from your second Universal Credit payment. If you can’t afford the repayments, tell your work coach as they might delay them for up to three months.   

You can currently repay over a maximum of 24 months, with up to 15% of your Universal Credit standard allowance being deducted each time.

For example:  

• Your estimated first payment is £400.

• You take £200 as an advance and repay over 24 months.

• Your Universal Credit payment will be reduced by £8.33 a month until the advance is repaid. This means your usual payment will be £391.67.

You’ll be asked to explain why you need the advance, to provide your bank details and have your identity checked.

To request an advance payment, you can: 

1. Add a note to your online journal using your online Universal Credit accountOpens in a new window  
2. Call the free Universal Credit HelplineOpens in a new window or Universal Credit Service CentreOpens in a new window in Northern Ireland.
3. Talk to your work coach. 

If you apply online, you’ll see the different repayment options and amounts. Alternatively, your work coach or a helpline adviser will explain how much you’ll repay each month.

If you’re waiting for your first Universal Credit payment, you can also ask a Citizens Advice Help to Claim or Advice NI adviser for help and support with your application. 

There could be a number of reasons your advance payment wasn’t approved. For example, if you (and/or your partner if claiming as a couple): 

• live with family or friends 

• have enough money or savings to last until your next payment 

• haven’t had your ID checked at a Jobcentre Plus. 

If you’re unhappy or think there’s been a mistake, you can ask the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to reconsider the decision. This means someone else will look at your application.   

See Ask for a mandatory reconsideration for more help and information, but you won’t be able to appeal.  

For more help, see our guide Where can I get emergency help with money and food?

Local Councils in England offer help via the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have similar schemes that can help. Check with your local authority to see what is available.