Help with moving from benefits to work

Starting or running your own business

You can get help to:

  • start your own business
  • develop your business, if you’re already self-employed

You can get help from:

If you get Universal Credit

You might be able to get a 12 month ‘start up period’ if you’re self-employed.

During a start up period, no matter how much you earn:

  • your Universal Credit payments are based on your monthly earnings
  • you do not need to look for other work
  • you’ll get support from a work coach who’s trained to work with the self-employed

Your current work coach can tell you if you’re eligible.

Read more about claiming Universal Credit when you’re self-employed.

If you already have a business that’s less than 2 years old

You might be able to get a Start Up Loan.

If you’re disabled or you have a health condition

You may be able to get extra support through an Access to Work grant.

Help for parents and carers

Your Jobcentre Plus work coach can tell you about support you can get to help you combine work with looking after children or caring responsibilities.

Help for parents

Parents can get help with childcare costs when moving from benefits to work.

Help for carers

Work Preparation Support for Carers provides help and support for you to make a successful move into work, including access to training and advice on job hunting and applications.

You might be able to get help with the cost of replacement care while you take part in training or attend interviews.

Support when you start working

Going back to work does not mean giving up all your benefits. Some benefits may carry on, and others may be available once you’re working.

Contact Jobcentre Plus if you’ve found a job and you or your partner have been getting:

Your Jobcentre Plus work coach will help you to manage your move into work, and sort out changes to your other benefits, including tax credits. What you can get will depend on how long you were claiming these benefits without a break.

You do not have to fill in any forms, but make sure you have details of your income, savings and any rent payments to hand.

Use a benefits calculator to see how starting a job or increasing your working hours affects your benefits.

Help with housing

Depending on how long you have been claiming benefits, you may be able to get:

These payments provide help for up to 4 weeks when you start a new job and begin earning a wage. You may also be able to get extended reductions on your Council Tax.

If you’re disabled or you have a health condition

You may be able to get extra support through an Access to Work grant.

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