Key Ask 2: Resolve the 5-week wait
13 October 2026
By Cliff Edge Coalition
A claimant must wait five weeks between first claiming for Universal Credit and receiving their first payment. It is one of the most problematic and widely reported design flaws with Universal Credit, as people sign-on when they have had a change in their circumstances and need support. Social security is meant to provide a safety net during difficult times, but evidence shows that the 5-week wait increases poverty and hardship and drives many claimants into debt.
The Cliff Edge Coalition has long called for ways that Stormont can step in to protect people from the clear hardship this policy creates.
Read Cliff Edge Coalition’s full briefing below:
