Universal Credit if you get a Severe Disability Premium

Eligibility

You’ll get this payment if all of the following apply:

• you (or your partner) get, or are entitled to, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• you get, or are entitled to, the severe disability premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
• you’re still eligible for the severe disability premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim
• you’ve not joined an existing Universal Credit claim

If you’re in a couple and you get, or are entitled to, the higher severe disability premium rate, then the following also needs to apply in the first month after you claim Universal Credit:

• no one gets Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment for caring for you or your partner
• no one gets an extra amount on top of their Universal Credit payments for caring for your or your partner

How to claim transitional protection

You’ll automatically get a transitional protection payment, if you’re entitled to it, when you claim Universal Credit unless you have separated from your partner. Your transitional protection payment will appear in your Universal Credit account.

Claiming if you separate from your partner

You’ll need to apply for the transitional protection payment if you separate from your partner and:

• benefit payments were only made in your partner’s name
• they get, or are entitled to, a severe disability premium as part of a claim for Income Support, income-based JSA or income-related ESA

You need to claim Universal Credit within one month of separating from your partner to be considered for transitional protection.

You need to apply for transitional protection as soon as possible after you claim Universal Credit and no later than 13 months after separating from your partner.

To apply for your transitional protection payment you can contact Universal Credit through your Universal Credit online account, speak with your work coach in your local Jobs and Benefits office or phone the Universal Credit Service Centre.

Extra amounts

You could get more money in your transitional protection payment if you get, or are entitled to, other disability premiums or the disabled child premium.

If you get other disability premiums

You can get more money in your transitional protection payment if:

• you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium or the disability premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
• you’re still eligible for the enhanced disability premium or the disability premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim

If you get the disabled child premium

You might get the disabled child premium as part of your:

• Income Support
• income-based JSA
• Child Tax Credit (called the ‘disabled child element’)

You can get more money in your transitional protection payment if:

• you get, or are entitled to, the disabled child premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
• you’re still eligible for the disabled child premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim
• the lower rate of the disabled child element is included in your Universal Credit payment

Changes to the amount of transitional protection

Transitional protection reduces over time by the amount of any increase in your Universal Credit. This does not include any increase to pay for childcare costs.

It will end if any of the following apply:

• you’re a single claimant and you start living with your partner
• you stop living with your partner
• your Universal Credit increases by more than the transitional protection amount
• your earnings fall below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) for more than 3 assessment periods
• your Universal Credit claim ends

If your Universal Credit stops for less than 3 months because your earnings are too high, you may get transitional protection again when your claim restarts.