How much you can get depends on a number of factors, with the lowest you can borrow £100.
Meanwhile, single people could get up to £348, while those who live with a partner could get up to £464.
The highest reward is only eligible for people with children and that is worth £812.
But it is not always guaranteed that you will be accepted for the payment.
Firstly, you must have been claiming Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or State Pension Credit for six months or more.
There is an exception if you need the money to help start a new job or stay in employment.
You will not be eligible either if you have earned more than £2,600 in the past six months or £3,600 if you are in a couple.
Disability benefit explained – what you can claim
You will also not qualify if you have not paid off any previous advance loans, as you can only have one at a time.
You can apply for a budgeting advance by calling the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
An advisor will then asses you can pay the loan back – they’ll see if you have any debts and how much you owe to help work this out.
The phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and you’ll normally get a decision on the same day.
Alternatively, you can apply through your online account or speak to your Jobcentre Plus work coach.
Paying the advance back
You have to pay any money you were given back, but you will not be charged interest.
The money will be taken out of your Universal Credit payments, and you will pay it back over two years, starting from your next payment.
So for example, if you get an advance of £240 and you pay this back over 24 months, £10 will be taken out of your payment each month until this is paid back.
If you cannot afford your advance repayments, you can ask for the amount you pay to be lowered.
You can call the Universal Credit helpline or contact the Jobcentre helpline.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
War Widow’s Pension
Widowed Mother’s Allowance
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
Widow’s Pension
If you’re part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or live together, you’ll both get the cash bonus – as long as you both are eligible.
If you or your partner do not get one of the above qualifying benefits, then they could still get the bonus if they are over the state pension age by the end of the qualifying week.
Winter Fuel payment
The Winter Fuel Payment is made every year to help cover the cost of energy over the colder months.
It has been changed in recent months so that fewer can claim.
However, the cash boost, worth up to £300, is still valuable for those who quality – particularly those on Pension Credit.
The cash is usually paid in November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.
If you haven’t got your payment by then, you need to call the office that pays your benefits.
Households eligible for the payment are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.
If you think you meet the criteria, but don’t automatically get the winter fuel payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.
The Child Winter Heating Assistance
If you’re based in Scotland, you could receive a child winter heating assistance payment of £255.80.
You get child winter heating payment for a child or young person under 19 who lives in Scotland and who is entitled to:
the highest rate of the care component of child disability payment (CDP) or disability living allowance (DLA), or
the enhanced rate of the daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) or personal independence payment (PIP).
They must be entitled to the relevant disability benefit during the ‘qualifying week’, which is the week beginning on the third Monday in September (w/c Septmber 15 in 2025).
You do not have to make a claim for the payment, but it should be paid by Social Security Scotland, usually in November.
If you think you’re entitled but have not received payment by the end of December, you should contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.
Warm Home Discount
The Warm Home Discount is an automatic £150 discount off energy bills.
As the money is a discount, there is no money paid to you, but you’ll get the payment automatically if your electricity supplier is part of the scheme and you qualify.
You’ll have to be in receipt of one of the following benefits to qualify for one of the payments:
If you don’t claim any of the above benefits, you won’t be eligible for the payment.
Cold Weather payment
Cold weather payments are dished out when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below, on average, for seven consecutive days between November 1 and March 31.
Eligible Brits are then given extra money to help heat their homes.
You get £25 for each seven-day period where the weather is below zero Celsius on average during this time frame.
You can check if your area has had a cold weather payment by popping your postcode into the government’s tool on its website.
You’ll need to be on certain benefits to qualify, which are:
Student maintenance loans are paid to university students to help cover living costs such as rent.
They are usually paid at the start of each new term, so you typically receive three payments a year.
Maintenance Loans are paid straight into your student bank account in three (almost) equal instalments throughout the year.
The amount you will receive depends on where in the UK you’re from, whether you’ll be living at home or not, your household income and how long you’re studying for.
The average Maintenance Loan is approximately £6,116 a year.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Love Island will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a one-off special episode called Love Island: A Decade of Love, which will look back on the show’s most iconic moments
02:52, 18 May 2025Updated 02:52, 18 May 2025
ITV2 will celebrate 10 years of Love Island with a one-off anniversary special
ITV2 is set to commemorate a decade of Love Island with a special anniversary episode, celebrating the cultural phenomenon that’s dominated reality TV over the last decade.
The one-off special, ‘Love Island: A Decade of Love’, will air on ITV2 and ITVX, revisiting some of Love Island’s most seminal moments and catching up with unforgettable Islanders who’ve become household names.
The show promises to take fans down memory lane, reliving heart-stopping recouplings, shocking bombshells, and romance for the ages which have gripped viewers nationwide. It promises exclusive interviews and a peek behind the Love Island curtain to look at how it’s shaped television and impacted its alumni.
But, the question on everyone’s lips is which show legends will return for one-off 10th anniversary special? ITV has revealed exactly which Islanders will be back on screens with Dani Dyer, Curtis Pritchard and lovebirds Liam Reardon and Millie Court all set to return.
Georgia Steel will no doubt revisit her iconic ‘I’m loyal’ catchphrase as she will make a comeback alongside series two winners Cara De La Hoyde-Massey and Nathan Massey. The show’s other successful couples Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan and Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope will also be back to give fans an update on their love stories.
Returning favourites include Gabby Allen, who recently split from her All Stars boyfriend Casey O’Gorman, and other iconic Islanders such as Hannah Elizabeth, Anton Danyluk, Whitney Adebayo and Catherine Agbaje. Montana Brown – who welcomed her second child with fiancé Mark O’Connor at the start of the year – will also be gracing screens again, reports the Daily Record.
Cara De La Hoyde-Massey and Nathan Massey(Image: Getty Images for Asda)
Mike Spencer, Creative Director, expressed excitement about the upcoming special: “We’ve had an incredible 10 years of love, drama and unforgettable moments in the villa – now it’s time to look back and celebrate the icons who made it all happen.” He added, promising a nostalgic trip full of emotions, “Expect big laughs and plenty of heart as we revisit a decade of Love Island magic.”
Paul Mortimer, Head of Reality, has shared his enthusiasm about the show’s impact: “Love Island has become a true phenomenon over the past decade, delivering must-see TV moments every summer.” He also highlighted what fans can look forward to: “This special offers viewers a chance to relive some of the show’s most iconic moments with the Islanders who made them so memorable.”
The highly anticipated special is set to air on ITV2 and ITVX, acting as a precursor to the fresh summer series returning to Majorca this June. What do you think of the cast? let us know in the comment section below.
