Reporting your annual rent charge for Universal Credit

If you receive Universal Credit to help with your housing costs (rent and service charges), it's important to update your 'Confirm your housing costs' to-do in your Universal Credit journal when your rent changes.

When to update:

• If you pay your rent weekly:
  Complete your update on 6th April 2026
• If you pay monthly or you're a shared owner:
  Complete your update on 1st April 2026

You'll find a to-do in your Universal Credit journal around these dates – look out for it, as it will look similar to the examples shown below.

You should have received your rent increase letter recently, which sets out your new rent amount, eligible service charge (the part that can be included

in your Universal Credit claim), and any ineligible service charges (which cannot be included). Your new charges will also appear in the My Rent page of your online account.

Why it's important:

Please make sure you complete this update on or as close to the change date as possible, and before your assessment date.

If you miss this step, your housing costs will be paid at your previous rent amount, and you may not receive any backdated payments if the update is late.

If you need any help or have questions, our team is here to support you.