Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of universal credit in 2019.
Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide fast access to a payment for people in financial need until their first UC payment is due. Assistance of up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which is paid back over a period of up to 12 months, and from October 2021 up to 16 months, is available.
The estimated value of advanced payments that were paid to Universal Credit (UC) claimants for new claims and benefits transfers in the financial year 2018/2019 is £502m (source: DWP internal statistics).
The projected value of advanced payments that will be paid to claimants of UC for new claims and benefits transfers in each of the next five years is £676m in 2019/2020 rising to £862m in 2023/2024. This projection is line with the expected increase in UC claims.
Year | Projected Advances Spend (£m) |
2019/2020 | £676 |
2020/2021 | £682 |
2021/2022 | £678 |
2022/2023 | £766 |
2023/2024 | £862 |
Source: DWP internal modelling of advances.
Notes: