4. Budgeting loans

You can get a budgeting loan to help you pay for certain items – eg, furniture, clothes, removal expenses, rent in advance, home improvements, travelling expenses, maternity expenses, funeral expenses and jobseeking expenses. If

you are claiming universal credit, you must apply for a budgeting advance instead of a budgeting loan (see here). There are no special rules for students.

The amount of budgeting loan you can get depends on the size of your family and how long you have been on benefit. To qualify, you must have been getting one of the following for at least 26 weeks before your claim is decided:

•income support;
•income-based jobseeker’s allowance;
•income-related employment and support allowance; or
•pension credit.

See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook for details of who can get a loan and how to apply.