Universal Credit Recipients Encouraged to Claim Additional £24,871 Support

Millions of individuals in the UK receive Universal Credit, but you might not be aware that it might also qualify you for other benefits worth tens of thousands of pounds annually.

The cash payment of the amount is completely gratuitous, has no repayment obligations, and will not impact your future Universal Credit balance. Contrary to popular belief, 2.4 million people were working and claiming Universal Credit as of December 2023. This contradicts the idea that the program is exclusively for unemployed individuals.

According to a government report, “Those with low incomes and unemployed individuals can apply for Universal Credit.”As of December 2023, 2.4 million recipients of Universal Credit were working, accounting for 38% of the total recipients of the program. This number has remained consistent since January 2023.

Those with children receive the largest benefit bump of any group on Universal Credit. As long as you have a job offer that can be verified or are in the process of starting one, you are eligible to get reimbursement for up to 85% of your childcare expenses if you qualify for Universal Credit.

For two children or more, the most amount you may get back is £1,739.37, which works out to a very convenient £20,827.44 annually. This indicates that 38% of those applying for the benefit are truly employed and must use UC to supplement their meagre income.

Additional benefits that are available to you through Universal Credit are a grant of £1,500 for energy bills, a decrease in council tax of £2,171, and about £328 for water expenses.

For people on Universal Credit, a number of energy companies offer energy bill grants that can be used to pay off past due bills. You can also apply for less promoted social tariffs that offer lower rates.

The same is true for water bills; once more, water companies frequently provide subsidised social tariffs, which may result in substantially smaller payments than usual.