You may be asked to verify your identity and provide evidence (this could include housing costs, bank details, savings and capital, etc). You may need to attend the local Jobcentre to do this. 
 

You will need to agree to commitments in return for claiming Universal Credit. Depending on your circumstances, this could include searching for work, up to 35 hours per week.
UC will take into account your situation and consider whether you are required to look for work or take part in work related activities. 
If you are already working, UC will consider how much you are earning and decide if you need to look for more work. 
If you have support group on ESA or you are claiming as carer for a disabled person, over state pension age, at least 29 weeks pregnant, and other reasons, you will be placed in the no work group. 
You can read more about commitments here. 

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If you are self-employed, you will be asked to attend the Jobcentre to meet with a self-employment work coach to discuss your business and understand what you need to do in return for UC. This will include reporting your income and permitted expenses on a monthly basis and could include agreeing to grow your business and meet with a work coach on an ongoing basis. 
You can read more about being self-employed on UC here. 

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You will be able to access a new claim advance once your ID has been verified. This is a loan of money from UC that is intended to help you manage your living costs while waiting for your first payment. 
You can read more about new claim advance here. 

Payment process

After you have submitted the claim for UC, DWP will notify legacy benefits that you have made your claim for UC so they can take appropriate action to end your claims.
DWP will also ask them for additional information on your entitlement and how they were working out your benefit award. This is so DWP can consider if they need to include a transitional element, to ensure you are not worse off, and how much this will be.
You do not need to take any action for this. 

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Your UC claim is worked out on a monthly basis, called an assessment period. Your first assessment period starts on the same day as your UC claim. Once your first assessment period has finished, UC will work out your entitlement, provide you with the amount of the payment and a breakdown of how that was worked out. They will pay the money into your bank account 7 days after your assessment period ends. 
It is always 1 month and 7 days until your first payment. 
Your payment date will be monthly on the same date each month.
This will be paid early if weekend or bank holiday. 

Example: Your deadline date is 5th August.
You claim before this on 3rd August. Your claim starts on 3rd August. 
Your first UC assessment period is 3rd August to 2nd September.
After the 2nd September, UC work out your payment amount and provide you with a breakdown.
Your payment is made into your bank on 9th September.
Your payment would be made on the 9th of each month thereafter.
This will be paid early if weekend or bank holiday. 

Managing your claim on an ongoing basis
You would need to ensure that you report all changes to UC as they happen. You would need to make sure that you take any actions required on your account, so make sure to login often.
If you are asked to complete any commitments, failure to do so, without good reason, could result in a sanction being applied to your payments. 
If you start or stop living with your partner, you would need to report this change to UC. 

Transitional protection is not intended to be permanent support. There are certain circumstances that transitional protection ends entirely, and your claim would fall under the normal rules. 

The transitional element was only intended to ensure people are not worse off at the point of claiming UC. There are situations in which the transitional element will erode or end entirely.