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Which number to call, and for what

Two DWP lines, different hours, and they do not cover for each other. Plus the number that does not exist.

Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 15 September 2026

Every number on one page

All of these are freephone numbers. A British Sign Language video relay service is available on each line.

Checked against GOV.UK on 14 September 2026. Numbers change — the GOV.UK pages linked at the foot of this page are always the current position.

Budgeting Advance phone number: there is no separate line

There is no separate Budgeting Advance line. A Budgeting Advance is requested through your Universal Credit journal or your work coach; if you need to speak to someone, it is the ordinary Universal Credit helpline: 0800 328 5644, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (Welsh 0800 328 1744, Relay UK 18001 then 0800 328 5644). The Social Fund line below is for Budgeting Loans on legacy benefits, not for advances — it cannot take a Budgeting Advance request.

How a Budgeting Advance works · If yours was refused

If you are on Universal Credit

Before you phone: most things go faster through your online journal, and a journal message is a written record. Use the phone when you need a decision today, or when the journal has gone unanswered.

Source: GOV.UK — Universal Credit: Contact. Checked 10 September 2026.

If you are on Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Pension Credit

Source: GOV.UK — Budgeting Loans: How to apply. Checked 10 September 2026.

The Budgeting Loan phone number

There is no separate Budgeting Loan line. The number is the Social Fund Enquiry Line, 0800 169 0140, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm. In Welsh it is 0800 169 0240, and through Relay UK it is 18001 then 0800 169 0140.

Know what the line can and cannot do before you ring it. You cannot apply for a Budgeting Loan over the phone. You apply online, or on paper form SF500 — and if you ask for the paper form by phone, allow seven days for it to arrive. What the line is for is changing an application you have already made, and asking for that form.

How long a Budgeting Loan takes

This is the question most people ring the line to ask, and GOV.UK publishes the answer.

If you are refused, or you are offered less than you asked for, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again. Do it within 28 days of the date on the decision letter, and include your name, National Insurance number, address, phone number and why you disagree. If the second decision still looks wrong, you have another 28 days to ask the Independent Case Examiner to review it.

The Income Support phone number

People still search for this, so it is worth saying plainly: you can no longer make a new claim for Income Support. New claims go to Universal Credit instead, on 0800 328 5644.

If you are still receiving Income Support and need to report a change, the route is your local Jobcentre Plus rather than a single national number — GOV.UK points to its office finder for the direct line. If what you are actually calling about is money being taken off your payments, that is DWP Debt Management on 0800 916 0647.

If you are repaying an old loan and no longer on benefits

When you stop claiming, repayment of a Budgeting Loan, Budgeting Advance or old Crisis Loan moves to DWP Debt Management, which writes to you. Use the contact details on that letter — they are specific to your case and we do not reproduce a general number here.

If you are still on Universal Credit and want a deduction reduced, that is a financial hardship request through your journal, your work coach or the Universal Credit helpline above. How that works.

Help from your council

There is no national number. The Crisis and Resilience Fund in England, the Scottish Welfare Fund, the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales and Discretionary Support in Northern Ireland are all reached through the council or nation that runs them.

1. Start from GOV.UK’s page Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗ and follow it to your council.
2. On the council’s site, search “crisis”, “welfare assistance” or “household support”.
3. If there is no form, phone the council’s main switchboard and ask for the local welfare or crisis support team by name.

What the council scheme covers, and why it does not affect your benefits

Before you call any of them

• Your National Insurance number
• The exact thing you are asking for — “a Budgeting Advance of £348 for a cooker”, not “some help”
• For a Budgeting Loan: whether you have been on a qualifying benefit for 6 months, and whether you already owe on a Budgeting Loan or Crisis Loan
• For a Budgeting Advance: whether a previous advance is fully repaid, and roughly what you have earned in the past 6 months
• A pen. Write down the date, the time, the name of the person, and what they said

Frequently asked questions

This page is independent. It is not run by the Department for Work and Pensions or GOV.UK. The numbers above are DWP lines, published on GOV.UK; we are not able to answer questions about your claim.