The Department for Work and Pensions outlined the rules around holidays while claiming Universal Credit.
If you go abroad, you can continue to claim Universal Credit for one month, so long as you are eligible for it, remain eligible while you're abroad, and inform your work coach that you're going. However, you cannot continue to claim Universal Credit if you move to a different country permanently, and you can't apply for Universal Credit whilst you're abroad.
If a close relative to you dies while you are abroad you can get Universal Credit for one extra month, but this only applies if it would not be reasonable for you to come back to the UK. So for example if you were visiting a relative who lives in another country and they passes away while you were there, you could get Universal Credit for the extra month, but if a family member in the UK died while you were abroad you could not.
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There are some exceptions to this, including going abroad for medical treatment. You can continue to claim Universal Credit for six months if you go abroad for medical treatment, you go abroad for a period of recovery that’s been approved by a medical professional (also known as ‘approved convalescence’), your partner or child is going abroad for medical treatment or ‘approved convalescence’ and you’re going with them.
Before you book a holiday or flight you should notify the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) that you intend to go abroad and the reason. If you don't, or if you go abroad for longer than a month and the travel does not fall under the specific circumstances when the one-month period can be extended, then the Universal Credit assessment period is reduced to nil.
This means you next Universal Credit payment will not be paid on the due date, but it won't be terminated altogether. So while you won't get a payment for the period you've been away, you won't have to start your claim again and wait another five weeks.
A DWP spokesperson said: "Claimants must be in Great Britain on the day the Universal Credit claim was submitted. Those who travel abroad or have come back on the same day the claim is submitted may be eligible for Universal Credit.
"If a claimant is unable to accept a Claimant Commitment - the document listing all the things they must do to get UC - because they are abroad on holiday, they won't get the benefit and will be required to make a new claim on their return to the UK."
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