Thank you for contacting me about the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits.
 
As you may be aware, this extra support was announced by the Chancellor as a temporary measure in March 2020 to support those likely be facing the most financial disruption as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
 
On top of the planned uprating, the Government is extending the temporary £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance until the end of September 2021. This measure will apply to all new and existing Universal Credit claimants and means that the additional support will remain in place well beyond the end of economic restrictions.
 
The Government is also making a one-off payment of £500 to eligible Working Tax Credit claimants to provide continued additional support over the next six months.
 
As Work & Pensions Secretary, I am focused on supporting people by helping them get back into work through the Government’s Plan for Jobs. I am pleased my Department’s £2 billion Kickstart scheme has already seen over 145,000 vacancies created from a range of different sectors for 16 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit.

Furthermore, the £2.9 billion Restart scheme, launching in summer 2021, will provide intensive help to over a million jobseekers who have been out of work for over twelve months.