Universal Credit

Universal Credit supports people who are on a low income or out of work.

Hardship payments

A hardship payment is an emergency payment to cover essential outgoings like food and bills.

You can apply for a hardship payment by phoning the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). They will arrange an appointment for you to attend your local Jobcentre Plus within 24 hours. The amount of your hardship payment and how long you have to pay it back will be decided at this meeting.

You will need to have started to complete the actions on your claimant commitment to be considered for a hardship payment.