Universal Credit
This new in and out of work credit integrates six of the main out of work benefits and was introduced in 2013 in one job centre in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.
Full implementation of UC was to be completed by 2017, but it has not yet been completed. It has been criticised for pushing people into poverty and for its implementation costs.
Universal Credit is a new single payment that applies to people who are looking for work or on a low income. It aims to bring together a range of working-age benefits into a single payment.
It replaces the individual payments of:
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Child Tax Credits
- Working Tax Credits
- Housing Benefit