A Budgeting Advance is a loan payment available to people on Universal Credit as an alternative to a Budgeting Loan. It’s also referred to as a Universal Credit Advance or Universal Credit Advance Payment.
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Budgeting Advance Phone Number
| Universal Credit Helpline | Phone Numbers |
|---|---|
| Telephone | 0800 328 5644 |
| Textphone | 0800 328 1344 |
| Welsh language | 0800 328 1744 |
| Northern Ireland | 0800 012 1331 |
How to apply for a Budgeting Advance
To apply for a Budgeting Advance loan contact your local Jobcentre Plus work coach.
Apply for a Budgeting Advance for help with financial hardship
You may be able to apply for a Budgeting Advance loan to get financial help for the following reasons:
- to pay for emergency household costs such as replacing a broken boiler
- To help you get a job or stay in work
- To contribute towards funeral costs
You’ll repay your Budgeting Advance through your Universal Credit payments. These will be reduce until you’ve fully repaid your Budgeting Advance.
If you stop claiming Universal Credit before you’ve finished repaying your Budgeting Advance, you’ll have to repay it from another source.
How much can you borrow for a Budgeting Advance
The minimum amount of money you can borrow with a Budgeting Advance is £100. The minimum you can borrow depends on your personal circumstances.
If you’re single you can borrow up to £348.
If you’re part of a couple you can borrow up to £464.
If you have children you can borrow up to £812.
How much money you can get for your Budgeting Advance depends on whether you have savings of over £1,000 and can pay the loan back.
Budgeting Advance Eligibility
To be eligible to get a Budgeting Advance, all of the following must be true:
- you’ve been claiming Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or State Pension Credit for at least 6 months (unless you need the money to help you start a new job or stay in work)
- you’ve earned less than £2,600 (£3,600 together for couples) in the past 6 months
- you’ve repaid any previous Budgeting Advance loans
How you'll repay your Budgeting Advance loan
Deductions are made from your single monthly Universal Credit payment. The first deduction is made on the day you get your next payment.
You will have to repay the Budgeting Advance within 12 months.
If you move from Universal Credit to another benefit the deductions will usually continue from your payments until the advance is paid off.
If you move off benefits you will receive a letter telling you how much you owe. The letter will ask you to contact DWP Debt Management Contact Centre to arrange your repayments. It is important that you do not ignore this letter.
If you don’t make payment arrangements, the DWP can recover the amount you owe by either:
- contacting your employer (where you have one) to arrange for deductions to be made from your earnings, or
- asking an independent debt collection agency to collect this money on our behalf (you should deal directly with the independent debt collector to arrange repayment)