State support and coronavirus - a trade union guide (June 2020)

Chapter 4

Waiting for the first Universal Credit payment

[ch 4: page 39]

A huge problem with Universal Credit is that it is paid monthly in arrears and there is a standard five-week wait for the first payment – a one-month assessment period and up to seven days for the payment to reach your account.

Unions and the TUC are demanding this five-week wait is scrapped, particularly in the light of the huge increase in the number of people now claiming Universal Credit due to the coronavirus outbreak.


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