Preparing for Universal Credit
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Set up a bank or building society account if you don't already have one, or join a credit union such as BOOM Credit Union
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Check if your account is suitable for managing benefit payments on the Money Advice Service website.
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Make sure you budget on a monthly rather than weekly basis.
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Set up automated bill payments to pay rent to your landlord (see below).
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Work out how much money you'll have coming in each month and what you need to spend it on.
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You will have to claim and manage your Universal Credit account online. See UK Online Centres for details of where to get online for free. Council staff at the Civic Centre can also help you apply.
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