Short Term Benefit Advance - How much Short Term Benefit Advance will I get?

There is no set amount of Short Term Benefit Advance you can get. How much you get depends on:

• Your personal allowance as part of the benefit you have claimed, and 

• The number of days you have been due that benefit.

If you are already making repayments for previous Social Fund loans or Short Term Benefit Advances, then these may be taken into account.

The amount you receive will be repaid by making deductions from your benefit payments once they are set up. You have to be able to repay the advance within 12 weeks, unless you have special circumstances where this might be extended to 24 weeks.

Benefit Cap

A Short Term Benefit Advance is treated in the same way as a payment of the benefit you have made a claim for so it may be included in the Benefit Cap, which limits the total amount in some benefits that people of working age can receive. See our Benefit Cap information guide for more details.

How will I be paid a Short Term Benefit Advance?

A Short Term Benefit Advance will be paid directly into your bank or building society account or through the Payment Exception Service if you are unable to open or manage one of these or a similar account. It is a loan which you have to back out of your future benefit payments.

Short Term Benefit Advance and other benefits

A Short Term Benefit Advance is treated in the same way as a payment of the benefit you have made a claim for.