Under universal credit rules, if you make a loss from your self-employment in one assessment period, you may be able to carry forward that loss to set-off against profit in a future assessment period.

If you are self-employed and claiming universal credit, DWP will need to decide if you are in ‘gainful self-employment’. 

The minimum income floor applies to some universal credit claims if you are self-employed. It does not apply in all cases. If the minimum income floor applies, you may be treated as earning a certain amount even if your actual earnings from self-employment are lower.

This page explains how to report your self-employed income and how it is calculated for universal credit.

The benefit cap is a limit on the total amount of working age benefits that you can receive. If your universal credit is over the amount of your benefit cap, it might be reduced.

Universal credit is a monthly award and payments are generally made monthly.  In Northern Ireland, payments are usually made twice monthly. There are a number of alternative payment options available depending on your circumstances.