More than half of people claiming universal credit for the first time during the coronavirus lockdown experienced hardship while waiting for a first payment, with many “too scared” to take out a government loan to tide them over, according to a Citizens Advice survey. The charity said its advisers had helped claimants who had reported skipping meals, relying on hot water bottles for warmth, and selling personal possessions to bring in cash to help them stay afloat during the built-in five-week wait for the payment. About 3 million people have claimed universal credit since March as businesses shed jobs during the lockdown. Citizens Advice estimates that a fifth of UK adults have applied or expect to apply for benefits as a result of coronavirus. Although 1 million recent claimants took out an advance loan from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to see them through the five-week wait, many had refused it, said Citizens Advice, because they would rather “scrape by” than go into debt. Ministers have insisted there is no need to shorten the controversial five-week universal credit wait because of the availability of advance loans of up to 100% of the estimated award, repayable over 12 months. Claimants in unexpected hardship can defer the repayments for three months. Sam Williams, a benefits specialist at Warrington Citizens Advice, said the five-week wait was a “real shock” to claimants: “You can sense them trying to do the mental maths on whether they can get by until their first payment and even then, if it will be enough for their essential bills and for them to put food on the table for their kids. “We talk people through their options, but taking an advance is something many feel nervous about. Instead I’ve seen people literally scraping by until their first payment: asking family and considering credit cards or other forms of credit from lenders; missing bills; and relying on food banks for support. It can put an enormous strain on people both financially and emotionally.” The survey of 500 new claimants found 14% who applied for universal credit since the lockdown were unable to afford food and heating while waiting for a first payment, while one in five (19%) borrowed from family and friends. With many more people expected to claim universal credit as the government’s pandemic job retention scheme unwinds, the charity is calling on ministers to support claimants by temporarily turning advance loans into a non-repayable grant. Dame Gillian Guy, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, said:“Universal credit has been a hugely important safety net during this crisis, but it’s simply not right that some end up skipping meals, borrowing from family members or falling behind on bills while they wait for money to come through. “The government has said that it is too complicated to change the payment process for universal credit. Yet tackling this technical challenge is needed to reduce the human cost of the five-week wait.” A DWP spokesperson said: “With universal credit no one has to wait five weeks for money as urgent payments are available. We recognise this is a difficult time for people on low incomes and we’ve injected more than £6.5bn into the welfare system – including increasing universal credit by up to £1,040 a year – to help those in most need. “Repayments of advances are made over 12 months and deductions are capped. More than 900,000 urgent payments have been made to claimants, landing in their accounts within days of a request, since mid-March.”