THOUSANDS of Universal Credit claimants across Southampton have been issued vital advice to help cope with the controversial new system.

It comes after it the system was accused of causing unacceptable hardship for many of its claimants,by public spending watchdog.

The watchdog says concerns about the altered credits, which have already been rolled out across Southampton in February, is failing claimants who are struggling to adapt to the new system.

Universal Credit is a single monthly payment that is given to support individuals who receive a low income or who are out of work by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Public Accounts Committee said there is a “real risk that we will see claimants facing hardship on a much larger scale”.

There are currently 11,721 people in Southampton claiming Universal Credit, more than 7,000 of these claimants are not in employment.

Universal Credit supports you if you are on a low income or out of work, and is paid as a single monthly payment.

It will usually be up to you to pay your rent and bills for the month using this money. You may be used to managing your money on a monthly basis, but if not there is plenty of help available.

You can talk to your work coach about the type of help you might need. Options could include an online service, advice sessions by phone, or face-to-face support.

To keep track of finances Nick Hill at the Money Advice Service advises claimants to:

Draw up a budget of your household income and outgoings to make sure you can pay all your bills and manage your money across the month.

lWork out your priorities. Top of your list should be paying your rent on time. To adjust to monthly payments, you could ask your landlord to move the day your rent is due closer to the day your Universal Credit is paid.

This way, it’s always the first thing you sort out when your money comes in. If you’re ever in trouble with housing and are worried about your situation, speak to your landlord straight away.

lConsider setting up Direct Debits/standing orders. This means your most important bills are paid automatically.

It can also be useful to keep reminders on your calendar or phone for when these payments are coming out to help keep an eye on your bank balance. If your bank provides an app, make use of it to help avoid going into the red.

lCouples must prepare for joint payments. If you’re in a couple and both of you receive benefits, Universal Credit means that you’ll now need to make a joint claim and will get a single monthly payment for your household.

This might mean you need to manage your money together more closely than in the past.

A joint account can make this much easier, as long as you are like-minded when it comes to spending and can agree to a budget.

If you’re worried about this speak confidentially to your work coach.

To help you manage your Universal Credit payments, you can use the Money Manager budgeting tool found on the Money Advice Service website.

See how Universal Credit can open up work for you. Search online for ‘Understanding Universal Credit’.

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