Universal Credit (UC) is coming to Shropshire

In May 2018 the full service for Universal Credit comes to Shropshire. Anyone whose circumstances change and who might need to make a new claim to Income Support, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit or the means-tested parts of Jobseeker’s and Employment and Support Allowances, might be told to claim Universal Credit instead. Jobcentre Plus will be able to tell you if this is the case. Universal Credit has been in the news a lot and many people might be worried about the effect on them and what they might need to do, so to help families understand, we will be publishing a series of short advice articles through this newsletter. Each will look at a different requirement of this new benefit and will hopefully help you to find out more. You only need to claim UC if your circumstances change and you need to make a new claim to one of the benefits it replaces. Some people may have a choice and be told that they might be better off claiming UC. It is worth seeking advice from a specialist like Citizen’s Advice or searching for an online benefit calculator to check first. Please don’t make a claim just to see if you would be better off on UC because if you do it will stop any current benefits. Take this simple online test to see how ready you are:

http://ucpp.dwp.gov.uk/universal-credit-preparation/

To find out more about UC visit:

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/categories/universal-credit

Or call the UC helpline on 0800 328 5644 or 0800 328 9344