The Department for Work and Pensions has issued new information that will affect some claimants
The Department for Work and Pensions has issued an important update for people moving onto Universal Credit. The information, which was released in Parliament, is about a process moving large numbers of people from older benefits to a new system – with a deadline close at hand.
More than two million benefit claimants have so far been moved over to Universal Credit in a major transformation of the British benefits system. The process is known as migration. People are being switched over from so-called legacy benefits such as income support and housing benefit to Universal Credit in a bid to simplify the UK benefits system.
The system sees claimants get a letter telling them to claim by a certain date – what is known as a ‘migration notice’. But they should claim Universal Credit by the date on the letter to keep getting financial support – or they could lose money.
Official data shows that between July 2022 and end of March 2026, 2,353,319 people in 1,822,374 households were sent migration notices. Government data shows that of these people, 1,992,161 living in 1,580,239 households have made a claim to Universal Credit.
That shows that a large number of people in that timeframe have yet to make a claim – meaning potentially large numbers of people could end up losing benefits. The DWP has this week issued a statement on this very subject after being questioned about the process by an MP – and said some people will be exempt from the deadline for now.
Luke Charters, a Labour MP for York Outer, asked Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden “what steps his Department is taking to support people migrating to Universal Credit from legacy benefits.”
His colleague Stephen Timms, Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions), responded. He said: “All customers have access to support throughout the process, including the Move to Universal Credit Helpline and independent Help to Claim support provided by Citizens Advice, which offers tailored assistance to help people make and manage their claim.
“We also provide eligible customers with Transitional Protection where their Universal Credit entitlement would otherwise be lower than their previous legacy benefit award, ensuring their entitlement is protected at the point of migration. We recognise that some groups, including Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers, may be more vulnerable.
“For these customers, enhanced support is in place from the point they receive their Migration Notice. This includes the Enhanced Support Journey, which offers tailored contact and visiting officer support where appropriate for those who have not yet engaged.
“In addition, we have identified that some customers require a personal or corporate appointee but may not have arrangements in place ahead of the ESA closure date. In such cases, we will exempt these customers from the closure date to ensure they are not disadvantaged. This does not mean ESA will remain in payment indefinitely and a final closure date for these customers will be determined in due course.”
The DWP said in April that income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and certain Housing Benefit claims for working-age people will end on June 30 as part of the final stage of the Universal Credit migration process. That deadline was extended in March in a bid to give claimants more time.
The migration process to Universal Credit
Universal Credit is replacing older, so-called legacy benefits. The DWP says the aim is to streamline and simplify the benefits system by combining six ‘legacy benefits’ into one single monthly payment, to better support people to find a job and to then progress in work.
The legacy benefits are:
- Child Tax Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income Support
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Working Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
Citizens Advice says: “Most legacy benefits will stop in July 2026. Most people getting legacy benefits should have received a migration notice by now.
“Contact the DWP if you haven’t received a migration notice. The DWP might eventually contact you, but it’s a good idea to speak to them as soon as you can. This is so you can move to Universal Credit without a gap in payments.”
For more information, visit the gov.uk official page on migration notices.
