BENEFIT claimants are being urged to be prepared as Universal Credit (UC) goes live.

The new benefit system rolls out in Renfrewshire today and East Renfrewshire next Wednesday.

UC replaces six benefits and tax credits with a single monthly payment including housing benefit, income support, jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance, child tax credits and working tax credits.

Claimants of any of these six will not need to do anything until the DWP asks them to, unless they have a change in circumstances, in which case people should seek advice on whether they need to apply.

If you don’t claim any of the six but find you need to make a claim, beyond today in Renfrewshire or next Wednesday in East Renfrewshire, you will need to apply for UC. This can be done on the UK Government website www.gov.uk

Your claim will start when you submit your application. People are being warned it may take five to six weeks to receive money. If anyone needs any extra support during this time, they are advised to look at claiming for a crisis grant by calling the Scottish Welfare Fund on 0300 300 0204.
If anyone needs advice visit www.gov.uk/universal-credit