Public urged to check if they can claim Universal Credit as £7.6bn goes unclaimed

• Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire is urging anyone struggling to check if they can get Universal Credit
• Universal Credit is not only open to those who are not working – those who are in work can claim too
• Benefits calculators are available online or the charity can be contacted in-person or by phone

People are being asked to check whether they can claim Universal Credit after it was reported £7.6bn is left unclaimed.

Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire is appealing to anyone struggling in the region to check online or contact the charity.

There is a misconception that people cannot claim Universal Credit if they are working, the charity has said. The benefit is open to people even if they are in work.

Policy in Practice published a report on unclaimed benefits earlier this year. It showed there are 1.3 million households in the UK which are eligible for Universal Credit but not claiming.

The consultancy estimated there is £7.6bn in Universal Credit which is not claimed per year.

It is the benefit with the highest amount unclaimed according to the report. There is a total of £19bn of all welfare which is unclaimed, the authors estimated.

Universal Credit replaces a number of benefits

Universal Credit was introduced to replace a number of benefits for most people including:

• Housing Benefit
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit
• Income Support

Claimants usually get one monthly payment to cover living costs. A couple will get one payment between the two of them.

The payment is made up of a basic ‘standard allowance’ and extra payments that might apply depending on circumstances.

Extra elements can be included if claimants are looking after children or paying for rent or childcare.

Extra payments can also apply if claimants are disabled or have a health condition. They can also apply if claimants are a carer for a disabled person or have a disabled child.

Those in work can claim Universal Credit

Emmanuelle Claverie is Lead Supervisor at Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire and leads a team of Advisers.

She said: “The main point is that a lot of people think that if you are working you won’t be entitled to Universal Credit. That’s not necessarily the case.

“Universal Credit is made up of different elements depending on what people are earning, whether they have children and whether they have caring responsibilities. It all adds up.

“It’s always worth going to check and there are benefits calculators available online – there’s one on our website.

“Or they can call the Help To Claim team [a national service provided by Citizens Advice] to check out their entitlement to Universal Credit.

“Help To Claim can check whether it is the best benefit for client, whether they are better off moving to Universal Credit and what the implications are – as well as helping to claim.

“You can be on what might be considered a high income but have expensive rent and a lot of childcare costs.

“This means you could be entitled to claim a lot more than if you were single and own your own home.”

Other payments could become available

Emmanuelle added it is worth claiming even a small amount of Universal Credit, because other payments could become available.

She said: “Even if people are finding they would be entitled to a very small amount of Universal Credit, it is worth applying for it because it open up other entitlements.

“These include Cost Of Living payments and possible entitlement to Council Tax Reduction which is another benefit which is not claimed very much.

“Even getting a couple of pounds a month could be worth a lot more because of the other entitlements you could open up.”

In 2022, Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire helped 4,778 people with 22,493 issues.

It saved clients a combined total of £4.4 million – that is the equivalent of £920 back in the pocket of each person it helped.

• Anyone in South Gloucestershire seeking free, independent, impartial and confidential advice from Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire can call 0808 278 7947 or visit: southgloscab.org.uk
• Anyone wishing to donate to Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire to help it continue its vital work should visit: https://bit.ly/3kG7HyB