A heavily-criticised new wide-ranging benefit will be road-tested in Bath from Monday.
The city is one of the guinea pigs for Universal Credit, which rolls six benefits into one.
The new benefit is already being used in London, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Inverness and Rugby.
New claimants in Bath will start being paid the benefit from Monday, as the pilot scheme is expanded.
But Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith's flagship scheme has been attacked by the opposition and select committee MPs, who have questioned whether the sums behind it add up.
Business leaders in Bath have, however, welcomed the flexibility the new system will bring.
Minister for Welfare Reform Lord Freud, who visited Bath earlier this year, said: "Universal Credit is modern welfare that rewards people who move into work, supports those who've fallen on hard times and is fair to taxpayers.
"We are introducing Universal Credit in a slow, safe and controlled way. This careful approach is working well and we're in a strong position as we bring Universal Credit to Bath for the first time.
"Most people are claiming it online, the IT is working and comprehensive support is in place. We will build on these successes as Universal Credit continues to roll out."
The DWP says people who claim Universal Credit will have access to support from local authorities and charities to help them budget, get online and manage their claims.
There will be 6,000 new computers in Jobcentres across the country for claimants to look and apply for jobs online.
The first claimants using Universal Credit in Bath - as elsewhere - will be single jobseekers, with the majority of claims made online. It replaces income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Housing Benefit.
Jobcentre advisers and claimants agree a Claimant Commitment together, which will clearly set out the unemployed person's responsibilities to find work.
When a claimant starts work, Universal Credit will be steadily withdrawn as their income increases.
The £2bn scheme has been beset by IT problems and it was revealed this week that only 3,200 people had been signed up to receive Universal Credit – at a reported cost of nearly £200,000 per person.
There have been claims that the next government - whichever political hue it is - could be forced to pull the plug on Universal Credit.
Under the original timetable, a million people would be receiving the payment by April, rising to 1.7 million a year later.
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