Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It’s paid monthly – or twice a month for some people in Scotland.
Making a Claim
Before you apply for Universal Credit you’ll need to gather some information together. This will help you make sure you only have to do the application once, and help you to get Universal Credit as quickly as possible if you’re eligible.
- your postcode
- your NI (National Insurance) number – call the HMRC helpline on 0300 200 3500 if you can’t find it
- details of your bank, building society or credit union account and an account statement
- the type of accommodation you have, eg private rented or housing association tenant (eg Thirteen)
- a copy of your tenancy/rent agreement – ask your landlord for a copy if you don’t have one
- your landlord’s address and telephone number
- details of any savings or capital you have
- details of any income that’s not from work, eg from a pension or insurance plan, welfare benefits
- details of how much you earn from work, eg recent payslips
- details of what other people in your household earn (pay and/or benefits)
- how much you pay for childcare (if you want to claim for childcare costs)
- child benefit reference numbers for any children you have if you get child benefit – phone the Child Benefit Office on 0300 200 3100 if you need help
- identity evidence (eg Passport, driving licence). You can verify your identify on-line or at the Job Centre
- remember to make a separate claim for Council Tax Support – It is not included in your Universal Credit claim.
Getting an e-mail address
There are a number of companies that you can set up an e-mail address with. A list of some of the main companies is at the bottom of this list. The steps below show how to set up an e-mail account with Gmail but we cannot recommend any particular company – we have just chosen Gmail as it is one that many people may have heard of.
Remember – You will need to have a password that you can remember but other people will not know.
How to set up Gmail address:
- Go to this link:
www.support.google.com/mail
Choose `Create a gmail account`
Click on CREATE AN ACCOUNT - Enter your first and last name.
- Enter the username you’d like to use for the account. You may need to add numbers or use a different name if the one you’d like is already in use.
- Enter and confirm the password you’ll use for the account.
- Google will need to send you a text message for security reasons. Enter your phone number.
- Enter the code you receive via text message.
- Enter a backup e-mail address if you have one. This can be used to help you recover your account if you are locked out.
- Enter your birthday and preferred gender.
- Read and accept the terms and conditions. You can also choose which data Google collects about you.
- Now you have an e-mail account.
Support in Making a Claim
The link below provides information on where you can access support for making a claim for Universal Credit including the type of support you can receive, whether this is to set up an email account, general help with using a computer or full support in making a UC application.