Unless you live in Northern Ireland or Scotland (see below ), universal credit is normally paid once every calendar month in arrears. You should get your first payment within seven days of the end of your first monthly assessment period (see Chapter 15(1) ) or, if this is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after that. This means that you will effectively have to wait around five weeks from the date of claim to receive any payment. You may be able to claim an advance payment of universal credit to tide you over until you receive the first regular payment – see Chapter 54(6) .

Universal credit is normally paid into a bank, building society or credit union account (see Chapter 54(5) ). A single payment is made to the household. If you are claiming jointly (see 3 above ), you and your partner can choose the account into which the benefit will be paid; if you are responsible for children, payment should be directed to the account of the main carer. If t