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Online handbooks

Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (for subscribers):

Mental Health and Benefits Handbook:

Articles

The most recent articles relating to universal credit (UC) from our Welfare Rights Bulletin (WRB):

Earlier articles on universal credit can be found by searching on our articles page.

Tools and templates

Our universal credit tools include a tool to generate step-by-step instructions for your client explaining how to find and download information from their online universal credit account:

and a tool to help you work out when a universal credit limited capability for work-related activity element should start:

We also have tools which help you draft mandatory reconsideration requests and help you check your UC work-related requirements (for subscribers):

Check our other universal credit tools and appeal submission and letter templates:

Legal test cases

Some of our recent test cases:

  • Permission to apply for Judicial Review has been granted in our test case challenging the requirement,  if an exception to the two-child limit is to apply on the basis of non-consensual conception, that it is the third or subsequent child within the family that is conceived non-consensually: Two-child limit non-consensual conception exception ordering rule: R (LMN and EFG) v SSWP [2024] EWHC 2577 (Admin).
  • A Norwegian national with pre-settled status has been held to have a qualifying right to reside for the purposes of a joint claim for UC both as a self-employed person (on account of her having taken steps to set herself up as self employed at the date of her claim for UC) and as a self-sufficient person: SSWP v VB and AD [2024] UKUT 212 (AAC), 13 August 2024.
  • Destitute EU nationals with pre-settled status can rely on EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to obtain UC: SSWP v AT (AIRE Centre and IMA Intervening) [2023] EWCA Civ 1307, 8 November 2023. The Supreme Court refused the SSWP's application for permission to appeal this decision on 7 February 2024.
  • Following our successful test case regarding universal credit advances for those awaiting a national insurance number, amending regulations came into force on 1 April 2024 which reverse its effect, see: R (Bui) v SSWP [2023] EWCA Civ 566, 25 May 2023.
  • There is no requirement to request backdating before a claim to universal credit is determined: AM v SSWP (UC) [2022] UKUT 242 (AAC), 1 September 2022.

Our other test cases:

Further information

Our UK-wide pages on UC

Our Scottish factsheets and pages on UC:

Early Warning System

Our Early Warning System (EWS) bulletins for England and Wales cover:

The EWS gathers information and evidence on the impact of changes to the benefit system. Send us details of cases:

eLearning

Our free eLearning courses for advisers with existing benefit knowledge:

Our free introductory level eLearning: