Universal Credit/Working Tax Credit Uplift

Update: The government has extended the uplift, but only for 6 months. We know it needs to be made permanent.

With the 2021 Budget to be announced on 3 March, Turn2us is campaigning for the Government to keep the £20 uplift for Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit.

This was introduced at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and has been a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people on low incomes.

Plan now if you claim Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit 

Although we very much hope that the uplift will be kept, if you currently claim Universal Credit you should plan now for a possible reduction of £20 a week to your benefits from September 2021. People receiving Working Tax Credit will get a £500 lump sum, but will see their working tax credit entitlement decrease from April 2021.

If you are thinking of changing to Universal Credit from another benefit

If you are thinking of changing from a legacy benefit to Universal Credit, be aware that from September this may mean that your Universal Credit might be lower than our Benefit Calculator currently predicts. See Switching from other benefits to Universal Credit for more information.

If you are struggling financially

You can use Turn2us tools to check what help may be available to you through benefits, grants and other help.

To check what benefits you might be entitled to quickly and easily, you can use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator

To find out what help may be available from charitable funds, based on your background circumstances and needs, you can use the Turn2us Grants Search

Turn2us is unable to offer advice on individual situations. To find an adviser in your area to discuss your situation with you can use the Turn2us Find an Adviser tool

See also our guides on Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit.

What you can do

If you would like to tell the government to keep £20 Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit uplift, you can email your MP.  Read our guidance £20 uplift: Write to Your MP on how to do this and what to say.

If you are on Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit and would be happy to talk to journalists about what the uplift has meant to you, please contact our External Affairs team about becoming a case study at: media@turn2us.org.uk