The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has clarified why some Universal Credit claimants will have to wait until June to receive an increased payment. In April, as part of the Labour government's efforts to address the cost of living crisis, nearly four million households on the standard rate of Universal Credit will benefit from the first sustained above-inflation increase to the benefit.
Value of the Increase
The boost is worth approximately £295 extra this year in cash terms for a single person aged 25 or over, rising to £760 by the end of the decade. However, the timing of the increase depends on when a claimant's Universal Credit assessment period begins.
Why Some Claimants Wait Until June
Not all claimants will receive the increase simultaneously because Universal Credit operates under what the DWP describes as the "first full period" rule. Universal Credit increases depend on a claimant's assessment period, meaning some recipients may not receive the higher amount until June.
Universal Credit assessment periods typically last one month, with payments issued about seven days after the period ends. Claimants only qualify for the higher rates once they complete an entire assessment period that begins after the new benefit rates came into force on April 6.
Examples of Payment Timing
Turn2Us explained: "For many benefits, the new rates will take effect from April 7. However, for some Universal Credit claimants, increased rates will take effect around June. This is because the new rate won't be paid until the first assessment period that begins on or after April 7."
For instance, a claimant whose assessment period started on April 4 would complete that cycle on May 3 and receive payment around May 10. Their next assessment period would then run from May 4 to June 3, meaning the increased payment would not arrive until around June 10.
Another example would be a claimant whose assessment period began on April 8 and finished on May 7, who would receive the increased amount around May 14. This means some claimants will receive the uplift several weeks earlier than others, according to Turn2Us.
