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<p>Universal Credit new claim and benefit transfer advances provide access to a payment
for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first
UC payment is due, ensuring no one has to be left without means of financial support.
Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can
pay back over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. In the Autumn Budget 2018,
we announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will
be extended to 16 monthly instalments.</p><p> </p><p>A budgeting advance is available
for one off unexpected financial events that the claimant is unable to meet and is
repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments.</p><p> </p><p>The latest
available data shows in the 12 months between March 2018 and February 2019 around
840,000 claims received a new claim or benefit transfer advance. In the same period
134,000 claims received budgeting advances, where for the previous assessment period
prior to receiving a budgeting advance there was a repayment of a previous advance
for that claim.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><ol><li>Figures
are rounded to the nearest 1,000.</li><li>Figures relate only to Universal Credit
full service.</li><li>Figures do not relate to those who may have been repaying an
advance from a previous claim.</li></ol>
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