Universal Credit

(asked on 4th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of universal credit are repaying an advance payment.


Answered by
Will Quince Portrait
Will Quince
This question was answered on 10th June 2020

Universal Credit advance repayments are made gradually over 12 months, and deductions are capped at 30% of claimants’ standard allowance. This is further to the reduction of the overall maximum level of deductions from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance since October 2019.

From October 2021, the repayment period will be extended from 12 months to 24 months and the reduction of the deductions cap from 30% to 25%.

For those who find themselves in unexpected hardship, advance repayments can be deferred for up to three months in certain cases.

For Universal Credit payments due in February 2020, 43% (1,068,000 claims) had a deduction for an advance repayment.

Notes:
1. Claim numbers may not match official statistics caseloads due to small methodological differences

2. Claim numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.

3. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

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