Recommendation 14

We recommend that the Department pay all first time claimants of Universal Credit a “starter payment” equivalent to three weeks of the Standard Allowance of Universal Credit. This payment should be made two weeks after the initial claim, and only once the claimant’s identity has been verified, to mitigate the risk of fraud. The starter payment should also be given to people who move to Universal Credit by “natural” migration, in cases where it is not possible for them to be moved seamlessly to Universal Credit.