•Hardship payments are reduced-rate payments of universal credit (UC) and employment and support allowance (ESA) that are made in limited circumstances, if you have been sanctioned or you have committed a benefit offence.

•You or your partner or children must be experiencing hardship to be able to get a hardship payment.

•You must apply for hardship payments. For UC, you must make a new application for each assessment period in which your UC is paid at a reduced or nil rate.

•You usually have to pay back hardship payments of UC. You do not have to pay back hardship payments of ESA.