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<p>Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs) are payments on account of benefit. The majority
of STBAs are awarded to people in the period before their benefit is first due to
be paid, but STBAs can also be paid where a change of circumstances significantly
increases the amount of benefit due. STBAs are predominately paid to people claiming
Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance. They are
not available to people claiming Universal Credit.</p><p>Between April 2015 and March
2016, there were 218,592 STBA applications in Great Britain as a whole, with monthly
variations ranging from 17,188 in September 2015 to 21,529 in February 2016, but with
no downward trend at the year end. In Scotland, there were 26,322 applications over
the same period, with monthly variations ranging from 1,462 in November 2015 to 3,022
in April 2015, with a clear downward trend at the year end.</p><p>As the roll-out
of Universal Credit to all new claimants progresses, we anticipate a corresponding
decline in the number of STBA applications.</p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions
continues to advertise the availability of STBAs through the gov.uk website, with
information posters and leaflets in Jobcentres nationwide.</p>
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