Preparing for Release From Prison: Licence, Housing, Money and Release Day

By Daniel Hockey · Checked against GOV.UK and legislation · Last updated 8 October 2026 · 9 min read

The short answer: Preparing for release from prison starts about 12 weeks before your release date, when the prison's resettlement staff and a prison work coach help with housing, money, ID and a Universal Credit claim. On release day you get your property, a travel warrant and, if eligible, a subsistence payment (formerly the discharge grant) of £89.52. Most people leave on licence. From 1 October 2026, a new set of 11 standard licence conditions applies, and most people recalled for breaking them face a 56-day fixed-term recall.

When will I be released?

Most people serving a standard fixed-term sentence are released automatically, part-way through, and spend the rest on licence in the community. The Sentencing Act 2026 moves most standard determinate sentences to release at one third of the sentence. Some serious violent and sexual sentences are released at one half instead, and some offences are excluded altogether.

The 2026 release tranches

For people already serving a sentence on 1 October 2026, the change is phased in by sentence length.

Concurrent sentences use the longest sentence. Consecutive sentences are added together. People already out on an HDC curfew licence on 30 September 2026 move to the new rules on 12 October 2027. Our guide to how long you will actually serve explains the rules in full.

If your release date falls on a Friday

Under the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Act 2023, a release date that falls on a Friday, or the day before a bank holiday, can be brought forward by up to two working days. This gives you time to reach housing, probation and benefit offices while they are open.

Release before your automatic date

You may be able to leave earlier on a tag under home detention curfew (HDC). If you are serving a life, IPP or extended sentence, release depends on the Parole Board instead.

Resettlement: the last 12 weeks

GOV.UK says every prisoner gets help preparing for release. In the last 12 weeks you should get advice on somewhere to live, work and managing money. Extra help is available if you have had problems with drugs or alcohol, have been a victim of domestic abuse, or have been involved in sex work.

Most people spend the last few months of their sentence in a prison near the area they plan to live in.

What to sort out before release

Housing after release

If you are likely to be homeless within 56 days, prisons and probation have a legal duty to refer you to a council in England, with your consent. You can choose which council. Ask for this referral early, not in your last week.

If you had a home before custody, you may be able to keep it. The housing part of Universal Credit can continue for up to 6 months if your expected stay in custody is 6 months or less. Our guide to housing and homelessness after prison release explains your options.

Money and benefits

Universal Credit

You cannot make a Universal Credit claim while you are in prison. The prison work coach meets you about 12 weeks before release to check your ID, bank account and housing evidence, and books a jobcentre phone appointment for the day of release or soon after.

• Claim online as soon as you are released. Claims are not backdated.
• Advance payment: if you cannot cover living costs before your first payment, you can ask for an advance of up to 100% of your expected first payment. It must be repaid, usually over 24 months.
• Payments: Universal Credit is usually paid monthly, so plan for the first few weeks.

See our guide to benefits and Universal Credit after prison for more detail.

The subsistence payment (discharge grant)

The prison discharge instruction, last revised in November 2024, sets the payment at £89.52. You qualify if you are 18 or over and served more than 14 days after being sentenced.

Who does not get the payment

• People released from court on remand, including "time served" cases
• Anyone who served 14 days or less after sentence
• Recalled prisoners who were on licence for 14 days or less, or recalled for 14 days or less
• People being deported or removed, or going to an address outside the UK
• People known to have more than £16,000 in savings
• People discharged to hospital under the Mental Health Act
• People under 18, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners

The governor can also pay up to £50 directly to a genuine accommodation provider. It is never paid to you or your family.

What happens on release day

1. Identity checks. Staff confirm who you are against your records and photograph before you leave.
2. Property. You collect your stored property and check the seal on your bag. Any cash and the subsistence payment are counted in front of you.
3. Medication. You should receive an adequate supply of any medication and your current prescription.
4. Travel. Everyone gets a travel warrant or their fares, whether or not they qualify for the subsistence payment.
5. Your licence. You are given your licence, which tells you when and where to report to probation.
6. First appointments. Go to your probation appointment and your jobcentre phone appointment. Missing probation can lead to recall.

Your licence conditions in 2026

Your licence lasts until the end of your sentence. At your first probation meeting, your probation officer explains the rules and the dates of future meetings. You will be asked to agree a sentence plan.

The 11 standard licence conditions from 1 October 2026

1. Behave well and in a way that supports the purpose of your licence
2. Do not commit any offence
3. Keep in touch with your supervising officer as instructed
4. Meet your supervising officer where they say, including at your home
5. Live at an approved address and get permission before staying anywhere else overnight
6. Tell your supervising officer about any work you want to do and get approval first
7. Tell your supervising officer if you have a passport and give its details if asked
8. Get permission before applying for a new passport
9. Get permission before leaving the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
10. Tell your supervising officer if you use a different name
11. Tell your supervising officer about any change to your phone number, email or other contact details

The two passport conditions are new.

New additional conditions

Since 1 October 2026, section 27 of the Sentencing Act 2026 has allowed new types of additional condition. These include:

• A ban on driving unless your supervising officer allows it
• A ban on attending public events, such as sports matches or festivals
• A ban on entering pubs, bars and clubs
• A restriction zone that keeps you within a set area

The same section widened probation's power to drug test people on licence. Additional conditions are only added where they are needed for your case.

Post-sentence supervision has ended

Before 2026, people serving under 2 years had a period of supervision after their licence ended. The Sentencing Act 2026 repealed this from 11 May 2026.

Recall

If you break your licence, you can be sent back to prison. For most people serving standard sentences, this is now a 56-day fixed-term recall, after which you are released again on licence. Some groups, including higher-risk and terrorism cases, are excluded and face standard recall. Our guide to licence and recall explains the differences.

Work and your criminal record

A job is one of the strongest supports after release. Some prisoners within two years of release can work outside the prison on day release. Before applying for jobs, check when your conviction becomes spent and what you must tell an employer. Our guide to criminal records and employment covers this.

Your release checklist

1. 12 weeks before: meet the prison work coach and resettlement team. Ask about ID and a bank account.
2. As soon as possible: ask for a housing referral to your chosen council if you have nowhere to live.
3. Before release: confirm your approved address with probation and check your release date, including any Friday adjustment.
4. Last week: check your medication supply, GP details and your probation appointment time.
5. Release day: collect your property, travel warrant and payment, and make your Universal Credit claim.
6. First weeks: keep every probation appointment and read your licence conditions carefully.

For families

Families can make a big difference to release planning, especially by offering an address or practical support. Probation must approve any address, so expect them to check it. If you are collecting someone, be ready for release times to vary on the day.

Sources and how we checked this page

This page was written by Daniel Hockey and checked on 8 October 2026 against:

• Sentencing Act 2026, section 23: release (legislation.gov.uk)
• Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 6 and Revocation) Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Sentencing Act 2026, section 27: licence conditions (legislation.gov.uk)
• Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 5) Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Sentencing Act 2026, section 34: repeal of post-sentence supervision (legislation.gov.uk)
• Criminal Justice (Sentencing) (Licence Conditions) (Amendment and Revocation) Order 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Criminal Justice Act 2003, section 255BA: 56-day fixed-term recall (legislation.gov.uk)
• Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Act 2023: explanatory note to SI 2023/1329 (legislation.gov.uk)
• HMPPS: Discharge, PSI 72/2011 (revised November 2024)
• GOV.UK: Leaving prison, before someone leaves prison
• GOV.UK: Supporting prison leavers, a guide to Universal Credit
• GOV.UK: Benefits and prison, Universal Credit
• GOV.UK: Homelessness code of guidance, chapter 4, the duty to refer
• GOV.UK: Probation, meetings with your offender manager
• GOV.UK: Probation, being taken back to prison
• GOV.UK: Employing prisoners and ex-offenders