On 18 October 2017, there will be an Opposition Day Debate on a "Pause and fix of roll-out of Universal Credit" in the Commons Chamber. The Library is producing a briefing paper on this subject, due to be published 16 October. In the meantime, this page provides a short summary of Universal Credit and its roll-out.

Universal Credit (UC) is replacing means-tested social security benefits and tax credits for working-age individuals and families.  UC was first introduced for a small subset of new claimants in certain areas in 2013, and is gradually being rolled out to successively wider areas and more complex claimant groups.  Under the latest plans, the benefit will have been fully introduced throughout the United Kingdom by March 2022.  The roll-out timetable has however already been pushed back several times.​

​What is Universal Credit replacing?

Universal Credit is replacing a range of means-tested benefits and tax credits:

• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income Support
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit

DWP refers to these as "legacy benefits."​

​​How is UC being introduced?

UC was first introduced in certain areas in 2013 for people who would otherwise have made a new claim for a legacy benefit.  In this initial stage, UC was only available for a limited group of claimants with relatively straightforward circumstances – single unemployed people (or people with very low earnings) without children, satisfying a series of "gateway conditions."  Subsequently, in some areas new claims were also accepted from couples and families, although again only those meeting the gateway conditions.  DWP refers to Universal Credit in areas where the gateway conditions apply as the "Live Service."  The Live Service was extended to all Jobcentres in Great Britain by April 2016

Although people have to satisfy the gateway conditions when making a new claim in a Live Service area, if their circumstances change after they have claimed – e.g. they fall ill and are no longer fit for work – they still remain on UC.  This is sometimes called the "lobster pot" rule.

Starting in 2016, DWP began rolling out the Universal Credit "Full Service" (formerly known as the Digital Service), to replace the Live Service.  In Full Service areas, there are no gateway conditions, so new UC claims are taken from all claimant groups (except families with three or more children, who for the meantime will be directed to claim tax credits instead).  In addition, in Full Service areas claimants are expected to manage their claim via an online UC account.

In Full Service areas, UC affects not only people claiming benefits for the first time, but also those already on benefits who experience a change in their circumstances.  So, for example, where a person who was getting income-related ESA in an area where the Full Service now operates is found "fit for work", instead of claiming income-based JSA they will have to claim UC.  Where a change in circumstances triggers a move to UC, this is known as "natural migration."

Roll-out of the Full Service is expected to accelerate in the second half of 2017, and DWP expects that all jobcentres in Great Britain will be operating the Full Service by September 2018.  At this point, no new claims for legacy benefits will be possible.

The final stage in the introduction of Universal Credit – the "managed migration" stage – will involve the transfer of the remaining legacy benefit and tax credit claimants to UC.  This is expected to start in July 2019, and to be completed by March 2022.​

What version of UC currently exists in my area?

A regularly updated list of Jobcentre areas where couples and families can claim Universal Credit is available on GOV.UK.  Current Full Service areas are marked with an asterisk.  For the other jobcentres listed the Live Service operates and new UC claims are taken from single people, couples and families meeting the gateway conditions.  For the jobcentres not on the list, the Live Service operates and new claims are only taken from single people meeting the gateway conditions.

The Revenuebenefits website also has a postcode checker that indicates who can claim UC in a particular area.​

​When is the Full Service coming to my area?

In November 2016 DWP published its latest "planning assumption" about when the UC Full Service would be introduced in each local authority and jobcentre area in Great Britain – see Universal Credit transition to Full Service on GOV.UK.​

What's happening in Northern Ireland?

Universal Credit hasn't yet been introduced in Northern Ireland.  The Department for Communities plans to roll-out the Full Service on a phased geographical basis from September 2017 to September 2018 – see When Universal Credit will be introduced on NIdirect.  The final "managed migration" stage is expected to happen at the same time as in Great Britain.

Further reading

For more information about some of the issues encountered in the roll-out of Universal Credit, the Library has written a blog piece entitled Testing times for Universal Credit.

The Library has also produced a briefing paper concerning Housing costs in Universal Credit. Although focussed on the housing element of Universal Credit, the paper also summarises the new benefits system and considers comments about the implementation so far.

Commons Briefing papers CBP-8096

Authors: Richard Keen; Steven Kennedy; Wendy Wilson

Topics: Benefits administration, Benefits policy, Family benefits, Housing benefits, Sickness, disability and carers' benefits, Working age benefits