London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Is Universal Credit going up in October - who is eligible?

Is Universal Credit going up in October - who is eligible?

Universal Credit – a payment made to millions each month to help with living costs for those on a low income – is set to change for many people.

The payment replaced individual benefits like Child Tax Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance, instead giving one payment to include all the benefits you are eligible for, and since the start of lockdown, 3,200,000 people have claimed for the credit.

However, after it was introduced in 2013, many found themselves on less than before, with the change affecting people who were claiming Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Housing Benefit or Pension Credit.

Are Universal Credit payments increasing?

Is Universal Credit going up in October?


Yes, there will be boosts in the payments received by certain people on Universal Credit from October 8.

The boost in payments is designed to bridge the gap between the old benefits and Universal Credit.

Recipients of Universal Credit will get varying amounts, based on a number of factors. You can use the Government’s benefits calculator to work out what you could be owed.



An SDP (Severe Disability Premium) can be claimed if you are also getting an income-related benefit. Single claimants of SDP get £66.95 per week, while a couple gets £133.90 per week.

Justin Tomlinson, minister of state at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), confirmed the payment change to MPs last week.

He said: ‘On July 22, 2019, we laid legislation to provide additional financial support for former SDP recipients who had moved to Universal Credit on account of a change of circumstances…

‘This means that payments will be made through the UC system rather than manually, and all transitional protection will be subject to the same rules.

‘I will be signing a determination setting the conversion day to October 8, 2020.’

Since January 2020, SDP payments have been made manually, as opposed to part of Universal Credit, meaning claimants received two separate payments a month.

This has now been simplified, meaning those who are eligible will get an increase to their Universal Credit payments of £120, £285, or £405, depending on their circumstances.


What is changing for Universal Credit?

Who is eligible for the Universal Credit increase?


The breakdown of the boosts in Universal Credit work out as:

* £285 a month for claimants not in the Universal Credit limited capability for work related activity (LCWRA) group (roughly the equivalent of the lower rate (Severe Disability Premium) SDP at £65.85 a week)

* £120 a month where the Universal Credit claimant has been determined as having limited capability for work and therefore already receives an additional amount in their UC award because of their health condition.

* £405 a month where joint claimants were receiving the higher couple rate SDP in their existing benefits

* £285 a month where joint claimants were receiving the lower couple rate SDP and are not receiving the LCWRA component in Universal Credit

* £285 a month where joint claimants were receiving the lower couple rate SDP and are not receiving the LCWRA component in Universal Credit

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
×