DWP Clarifies 'Advance Payments' For Universal Credit Claimants

Welfare reform minister Lord Freud says benefit claimants used to being paid fortnightly will be able to opt in for an advance payment to bridge them on to the monthly system of Universal Credit.  There are concerns about the ability for claimants to manage monthly payments, which was put to Lord Freud at the House of Commons Work and Pensions committee inquiry into the progress of Universal Credit.  He said the Government was arranging an advance for people so that they don’t see any gap in their payments. Iain Duncan Smith, who was also being questioned, said the Government could even “transition them over a longer period” if they were classified as having difficulty with budgeting.  Read more on 24dash.