Our E-Learning Courses

We have developed a suite of informative e-learning courses to help those working in the housing and advice sectors build their welfare benefit knowledge.

All our courses are developed by experts. Most courses are 60-90 minutes long, with plenty of examples, quizzes, and hints and tips along the way. Perfect for learning new things or keeping your knowledge refreshed and updated.

Our aim is to ensure you and your colleagues have the knowledge and resources you need to give your customers accurate and effective advice on Universal Credit.

Our courses not only provide a deeper level of information than you will find on other courses, but they are also engaging and inspiring with hints and tips along the way to help solve common problems.

See the full range of our e-learning courses below.

The courses range from Introductory to Advanced and help every learner understand the issues and problems that many claimants face.

We’re always working on updating existing ones to ensure each course stays fully up-to-date with trends and legislation as well as developing new ones.

"I found the e learning very good. I am a visual learner and the way the information was presented, and the quizzes made it more user friendly and easy to understand."

Birmingham City Council

"Your e-learning packages have been invaluable to the training of my 2 new starters and also for refreshing the knowledge of other members of my team. The feedback the team have given me on these has been wonderful and it’s been a real help to have this available when inducting them remotely."

Rotherham Council

How do I access the courses?

Already subscribed to our e-learning package via the HS website? - click here to access the courses and why not take a look at our user guide.

Or, you can access just one course at a time for just £35+vat per course - click here.

How do I find out more?

If you would like any more details, then please contact us: training@ucnotes.co.uk

Introductory Courses:

This course is designed for those learners who want to know the basics of how the Welfare Benefit System in the UK works and what it's all about.

Learners will gain an understanding of the benefit system and how it is changing. They will get a basic knowledge of the different benefits and who they are for so that they can sense check when someone may be missing out or need advice.

The course will take 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

This course will give an overview of the benefits available to older people ie those age 66 or over.

Learners will gain an understanding of the 'pensioner' benefit system. They will get a basic knowledge of the different benefits and who they are for so that they can sense check when someone may be missing out or need advice.

The course will take 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

This course is designed for those learners who want to know the basics of how Universal Credit works and what it's all about.

Learners will gain an understanding of the benefits it is replacing, who can claim it, how it's claimed, how it's paid and how it works in general.

The course will take 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can dramatically increase someone's income and be life-changing.

This course equips learners with the knowledge they need to be able to recognise who can claim PIP and the confidence to support them when they make a claim. Delegates will gain a good overview of the claiming rules and the disability tests, as well as learning about the positive impact on other entitlements.

The course will take around 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

This course gives learners a good overview of Housing Benefit.

It gives learners an understanding of who can claim, how to claim, getting a claim backdated, how it's calculated, and how a change (such as a temporary absence) can affect an award.

The course will take around 120 mins to complete.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

Intermediate courses:

This course is all about making a successful claim for Universal Credit. It is a practical course for anyone helping someone make a Universal Credit claim.

The course focuses on getting the claim right the first time by avoiding common pitfalls with quizzes as you go along. It investigates the problem areas and looks at possible solutions with hints and tips along the way.

The course will take 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

Many UC claimants are not receiving the correct amount of Universal Credit. One reason is because there has been an error (or two) working out their Maximum UC amount. The Maximum UC amount is assessed by adding together various Elements.

This course investigates the Elements that can be included in a UC award and highlights where things can go wrong. This interactive and informative E-Learning course is all about making sure Universal Credit claimants are getting their full entitlement.

The course will take 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

Renting UC claimants should have a Housing Costs Element included when their award is assessed. But many aren’t receiving one, or if they are, not as much as they are entitled to!

This course - part 1 of 2 - looks at how it’s calculated—eligible service charges, room allocation, Housing Costs Contributions and so on.

And highlights what is going wrong—as well as hints and tips on how to put it right.

The course will take approximately 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

Renting UC claimants should have a Housing Costs Element included when their award is assessed. But many aren’t receiving one, or if they are, not as much as they are entitled to!

This course - part 2 of 2 - looks at who is eligible - examining who can (and can’t get it), untidy tenancies, and what happens when someone is away from home, or moves home.

And highlights what is going wrong—as well as hints and tips on how to put it right.

The course will take approximately 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

This course looks at the new lower rate of LCWRA Element introduced in April 2026. It examines which UC claimants are still entitled to the higher 'protected' rate by looking at the: who is a 'pre-2026 claimant', the 'severe conditions criteria' and the 'special rules' for those claimants nearing the end of life.

The course will take approximately 90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Released: 4th August 2026

This course will give learners an understanding of what the Transitional Element was for, the circumstances in which it might be eroded and the impact on the claimant's UC award, and the changes that will mean the claimant loses it altogether. It will ensure you give the correct information about how a change affects a UC claimant's award.

A basic knowledge of Universal Credit is assumed. The course will take around 90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Released: 12th August 2026

The Work Capability Assessment is an important part of Universal Credit. It assesses a claimant's ability to work and therefore impacts on any conditionality they may be required to keep as well as determining whether they are entitled to extra UC through the addition of the LCWRA Element.

This E-Learning explains how a claimant gets a WCA, what's involved, the point scoring system and the problems they may encounter along the way.

The course will take 60-90 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 25th February 2026

About 35% of UC claimant work. This E-Learning explains how UC works for working claimants. Content includes: what (if any) conditionality a working UC claimant may have, how earnings from employment and self-employment affect the award, which working claimants are entitled to a work allowance, and how the surplus earnings rules work.

The course will take 120 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Released: 6th April 2026

Some Mixed Aged Couples can make new claims for Housing Benefit or Pension Credit - those that are 'protected' from the rules introduced in 2019. This course explains who this is and when they can get back onto the pensioner means-tested benefit system if they claim UC by mistake.

All other Mixed Age Couples will need to claim UC if they need financial support. This course looks at what happens when a working age couple on UC become a Mixed Aged Couple (eg. how pension income is treated), the special rules that apply to Mixed Aged Couples on Universal Credit (eg. which State Pension age claimants can be treated as having LCWRA) and what happens to their UC when they become a State Pension age couple.

Released: 7th September 2026

Released: 3rd June 2026

This E-Learning course gives learners the important detail about the main benefits available to State Pension age applicants

This course will give learners an understanding of the areas where older claimants could be missing out and hints and tips for maximising benefit entitlement.

The course will take approximately 180 mins to complete (and can easily be broken into sections) with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

This E-Learning course gives learners the important detail about the main benefits available to State Pension age applicants.

This E-Learning course explains how to minimise the impact of Housing Benefit Overpayment on rent accounts - it looks at how they happen, when they should not be recovered, steps to ensure the amount is correct, who they can (and can't) be recovered from, how they can be recovered and how to challenge recovery.

The course will take approximately 90 mins to complete (and can easily be broken into sections) with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

Advanced Courses

Most students are not able to receive UC - but there are some exceptions. This course looks at the qualifying criteria for people “receiving education” - both advanced and non-advanced, full time and part-time.

The course also looks at how UC takes account of student income - including student maintenance loans, grants and other bursaries.

The course will take 90-120 mins to complete with lots of case studies throughout and a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

UC claimants living in certain types of supported housing - 'specified' and 'temporary' accommodation - get help with their rent through Housing Benefit rather than the UC Housing Element. This means that Supported Housing rents are coming under closer scrutiny from many HB Offices.

This course explains those definitions and looks at the implications for UC claimants and the housing provider. It highlights and examines some key problem areas.

This course will take approximately 120 mins to complete with a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 6th April 2026

The DWP has started the process of manage-migrating legacy benefit claimants onto Universal Credit.

This E-Learning course examines the processes and rules for those manage-migrating onto UC. It gives learners the knowledge they need to ensure a smooth transition onto UC, at the most appropriate time to maximise UC entitlement. It explains who is entitled to transitional protection (and who isn't) and how this can be eroded and/or lost.

The course will take approximately 120 mins to complete with a quiz at the end.

Last updated: 14th July 2025 NOTE: Updated version currently being developed.

Contact

01756 796394
Subscriber email queries: advice@ucnotes.co.uk
General enquiries: info@ucnotes.co.uk
Training enquiries: training@ucnotes.co.uk
Housing Systems, The Meeting Room, 3 Gargrave Road, Broughton, Skipton BD23 3AQ

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