Armed Forces: Universal Credit

(asked on 28th August 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to publish official statistics of the (a) total number of serving armed forces personnel in receipt of universal credit and (b) mean average amount of universal credit received by those serving armed forces personnel; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Johnny Mercer Portrait
Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This question was answered on 7th September 2020

The Ministry of Defence has no plans to collect information on the numbers of Service personnel who are in receipt of Universal Credit. The claiming of benefits is a private matter between the individuals claiming and the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Armed Forces offer their personnel a package which includes a competitive salary, subsidised housing and a non-contributary pension. Following a period under training, starting salaries for Other Ranks have risen to £20,400 per annum to ensure they are paid a living wage; new entrants' rate of pay is payable for a maximum of six months. We would, therefore, anticipate only a small minority of serving personnel being eligible for Universal Credit. However, for the minority of those who are eligible, which may include new entrants undergoing training, advice and assistance in making an application is available from a variety of sources, including Commanding Officers, the single Service welfare organisations, SSAFA and Citizens Advice. Information on universal credit is also available online at: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

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