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How to get help with urgent or one-off expenses

Published on 08 May 2026 12:41 PM

If you have an unexpected bill or emergency cost that you can't pay, there might be support available.

You might be able to get your benefit paid in advance (known as a budgeting advance or budgeting loan), or you could apply for support from your local council or a charity.

Can I get my benefit paid in advance?

There are a couple of ways you could get an advanced benefit payment:

  • You might be able to get an advance payment of your benefit called a Budgeting Loan (or Budgeting Advance if you receive Universal Credit).
  • If you’re waiting for a decision on your benefit claim, you might be able to get a short-term advance.

Budgeting Loans

Budgeting Loans can help you pay for essential things such as furniture, clothing and removal costs.

The minimum loan is £100. The maximum amount you can borrow is:

  • £348 if you’re single
  • £464 if you’re a couple
  • £812 if you have children

To be eligible for a Budgeting Loan, you or your partner must be receiving one of the following benefits:

In the last six months, you have must have earned less than: 

  • £2,600 if you're single
  • £3,600 if you're part of a couple

You cannot apply for a full budgeting loan if your or your partner have more than £1,000 in savings, or £2,000 if you or your partner are over 63.

There may be different options for how you repay your loan, but you’ll need to repay it within 104 weeks. What you owe is usually taken out of your benefit payments until the loan is paid off.

There are a couple of different ways that you can apply for a Budgeting Loan. You can:

Budgeting Advances (if you're receiving Universal Credit)

Budgeting Advances can help to pay for a range of different expenses, such as one-off items, home repairs, moving costs or clothes.

The minimum advance payment is £100. The maximum amount is:

  • £348 if you’re single with no children
  • £464 if you’re a couple with no children
  • £812 if you have children

A Budgeting Advance is a loan. You’ll usually need to repay it within 12 months. Repayments will be taken from your Universal Credit payments until it's paid back. You’ll be told how much your payments will be reduced by.

There are a couple of different ways that you can apply for a Budgeting Advance. You can: 

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Short-term advances

If you’re waiting for a decision on your benefit claim, you might be able to get a short-term advance to support you while you’re waiting for your first benefit payment.

You can apply for an advance if you’ve recently applied for:

A short-term advance is a loan. Repayments will be taken from your benefit payments until it's completely paid back – you’ll be told how much your payments will be reduced by.

To apply for a short-term advance, contact the organisation responsible for the benefit you’re claiming.

Advances at the start of your claim (if you're receiving Universal Credit)

You usually have to wait at least 5 weeks before you receive your first Universal Credit payment. If you're finding it hard to manage, you can get an advance to help with living costs and your rent.

There are a few ways you can apply for an advance. You can: 

These advances are loans – repayments are usually taken from your Universal Credit payments over 24 months.

Want more information? 

More money in your pocket information guide (PDF, 3 MB)

Social Fund, Advances of Benefit and Local Welfare Provision factsheet (PDF, 380 KB)

Find out what benefits you could be entitled to. Try our FREE benefits calculator