Universal Support

Universal Credit

Do you need help making your Universal Credit claim?

Universal Credit has been introduced across Hartlepool over the last few years - making us one of the very first towns in the country to transition from previous 'legacy benefits' to Universal Credit. It will replace 6 ‘means-tested’ benefits - these are benefits you can get if your income and savings are below a certain level.
  • Income Support
  • Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Working Tax Credits
  • Child Tax Credits
  • Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
  • Housing Benefit
Whether you should apply for Universal Credit instead of one of these benefits, depends on your circumstances - We can help check to see if you're eligible to claim or if your change in circumstance means you need to claim.

Universal Credit works differently from other benefits - so if you’re moving from another benefit, it’s important to know the differences.

The biggest differences are:
  • you can get Universal Credit if you’re unemployed but also if you’re working
  • you’ll get a single payment each month, rather than weekly or fortnightly
  • instead of getting a separate housing benefit, your housing costs will be paid directly to you as part of your monthly Universal Credit payment (or direct to your landlord in certain circumstances) 

National Advice Line

There is a national freephone advice line on:- 0800 144 8444

Local Adviceline

To make an appointment for help with a Universal credit claim or advice on your entitlement, contact us on our local Universal Credit Adviceline 

Call Adviceline
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