Universal Credit is paid into one bank account, yours or your partner’s. To receive Universal Credit or other benefits yourself, you need to open a bank account. To open a bank account, you need to go to a bank and show documents that prove:
  • Identity
  • Immigration status
  • Address
If you do not have a bank account, you can get your first payment as a voucher. This is called ‘government payment exemption service’. You will need to tell the Job Centre why you have not been able to open a bank account. This can take a long time, so it is better to try and open a bank account first.