Are you missing out on up to £628.10 in benefits payments? The Universal Credit myths that are costing you handouts
NOT TO YOUR BENEFIT
NOT TO YOUR BENEFIT Are you missing out on up to £628.10 in benefits payments? The Universal Credit myths that are costing you handouts
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HOUSEHOLDS should be aware of these Universal Credit myths that could see you missing out on cash.
Over 7.9 million people claimed the benefit in June 2025, and it is designed to support those on a low income or out of work.
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Many households could be missing out on the cash
Credit: Alamy
How much you receive for Universal Credit depends on your age and whether you live alone or with a partner.
As it stands those who are single and under 25 can receive up to £316.98 a month.
This rises to £400.14 a month once you are aged 25 or above.
Meanwhile if you live with a partner and are both aged under 26 you will receive £497.55 a month.
This rises to £628.10 a month when one or both of you are aged over 25, the highest payment given by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
But there are a number of misconceptions that could lead people - who could be entitled to the benefit - not to claim.
Let's take a look below.
You can work on Universal Credit
Many people believe that you can only claim Universal Credit if you are unemployed. But this is not the case.
You can continue to claim Universal Credit if you have found employment, however the amount you receive will reduce.
As it stands, for every £1 you earn by working your payment will reduce by 55p.
Your new income will be your wages plus your new Universal Credit payment.
If you receive housing benefit or housing element of Universal Credit you can earn £411 a month before your payment starts to reduce.
If this does not apply to you then you can earn up to £684 a month before your payment is cut.
Disability benefit explained - what you can claim
Savings and Universal Credit
Often people believe you cannot have any savings in order to be entitled to claim the monthly benefit.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ignores any capital or savings worth up to £6,000.
Information from charity Turn2Us said if someone had £6,300 in a savings account, £6,000 of it would be ignored and the other £300 would be treated as giving you a month's income of £8.70.
The DWP takes the following money, savings and investments into account when determining your eligibility for a UC payment:
cash
money in your bank account, including your main bank account
current accounts and digital-only accounts such as PayPal
savings accounts: bank, building society, credit union, Help to Save, Post Office and National Savings and Investments (NS&I) accounts
savings for children in your name
money that belongs to someone else, but is in your name
savings for essential building work (unless from a grant or loan)
savings for medical care
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs): cash, stocks and shares, Innovative Finance, Help to Buy, and Lifetime ISAs
Premium Bonds, dividends, stocks and shares
cryptoassets
property you own but do not live in yourself (apart from in certain circumstances)
property, land and savings abroad
inheritance payments
business accounts and assets for businesses that closed over 6 months ago
money in trust funds, apart from in certain circumstances
unspent benefits, for example Child Benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
unspent income
If you have up to £16,000 in savings you will not be eligible for Universal Credit.
As of this year payments received through the miscarriage of justice compensation scheme will no longer count as income when determining eligibility for support such as Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.
It means individuals who have been awarded compensation for a miscarriage of justice will not have this payment included when assessing their eligibility for means-tested support.
And if you previously could not claim the support because of the compensation payout, you could reapply.
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