More than 17,000 people in Bristol could be eligible for payments of £800.
At the beginning of the year it was revealed that 17,461 Bristolians were claiming Universal Credit (UC) from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and now they could be entitled to receive additional financial support to cover emergency expenses during the pandemic.
Budgeting Advances are also available for those who receive UC payments and, according to the Government's website, can cover the cost of emergency expenses such as:
- Funeral costs
- Getting a job or staying in work
- Emergency household costs such as replacing a broken cooker or white goods
The minimum you can borrow is £100 and the amount that a person is entitled to varies depending on their situation, for example:
- if you're single you are entitled to a maximum of £348
- if you're part of a couple you're entitled to a maximum of £464
- if you have children you are entitled to a maximum of £812
The Government's website reads: "A Budgeting Advance is a loan, and you’ll need to repay it through your regular Universal Credit payments – your payments will be lower until you pay it back.
"If you no longer get Universal Credit you will need to repay by other means, such as from wages or other benefit you may be getting."
