Change description : 2025-09-02 09:48:00: Guidance for homeless people: added section on moving to Universal Credit if you receive a Migration Notice letter which will be sent to your correspondence address. [Guidance and regulation]
Updated Welsh to reflect recent changes to English
11 July 2025
UC and homeless people: guide for supporting organisations. The Acceptable ID is changed for consistency with the prison leavers guidance acceptable ID list. Added:
- an eVisa issued by UK Border Agency, the person is allowed to stay 'for 6 months or more'.
3 June 2025
Added link to sanctions page from all 4 html publications.
1 June 2025
Guidance for supporting organisations: an expired biometric residence permit (BRP) can no longer be accepted as evidence of identity. Removed expired BRPs as acceptable ID.
2 January 2025
Added that an expired BRP can be accepted as proof of ID.
19 November 2024
Added link to new Recoverable Hardship Payments guidance.
24 October 2024
Added that eVisas are an acceptable form of ID for Universal Credit.
27 September 2024
Updating Welsh html to match English
25 September 2024
Advice for homeless people publication: added links to about reporting a change of circumstances, and help with housing costs if renting from a private landlord. And added information on Universal Credit and Housing Benefit help with housing costs.
9 July 2024
Removed references to Post Office accounts, Verify and COVID-19 in both publications.
20 November 2023
Added Carer Support Payment (Scotland only) to the list of other benefits that someone may be able to claim.
12 April 2021
If you apply for a Universal Credit advance on or after 12 April 2021, the time you must usually pay back the advance has been extended from 12 to 24 months. The most that can normally be taken from your Universal Credit payment to repay a debt has changed from 30% to 25% of your Universal Credit Standard Allowance.
1 July 2020
Removed the wording 'You will not get a sanction if you cannot keep to your Claimant Commitment because of coronavirus (COVID-19)'.
Changed the maximum amount of repayment of a Universal Credit advance from 40% to 30% of the claimant's Universal Credit standard allowance.
26 September 2019
Updated guidance on applying for an advance. You can now apply for an advance through your online account, by asking your Jobcentre Plus work coach or by calling the Universal Credit helpline. You will now need to verify your identity at a jobcentre first. Clarified examples in the quick guide of claiming Universal Credit and what the work coach will do.
22 August 2019
Added information about Universal Credit and hostels and updated attachments.
1 April 2019
Updated attachments to include information about 'Help to Claim'.
1 April 2019
'Help to Claim' information added to the Universal Credit for homeless people attachments.
25 February 2019
Removed references to Universal Credit live service.
22 February 2019
Removed references to Universal Credit full service and live service.