Thousands of DWP benefit claimants need to act soon as a deadline has been set for when their payments will stop next year.
The rollout of Universal Credit continues at pace with those still on legacy benefits being moved over to the new benefit.
You need to get in your application to continue receiving your benefits under Universal Credit, as the programme will finish next year with legacy benefits coming to an end.
Universal Credit is replacing these six legacy benefits:
The DWP has been sending out letters known as ‘migration notices’ to claimants, advising them they need to apply for the new benefit to continue to get their payments.
The full-scale migration programme launched in April 2023, and from 2023 to 2024 letters went out to some 500,000 households on tax credits only urging them to move over.
As part of the current stage from 2024 to 2025, migration notices have gone out to those receiving tax credits and other benefits, as well as all claimants of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), and Housing Benefit.
Letters went out to some 440,000 households in this category, by September 2024. The DWP said in the update: “All tax credit claims will be closed by March 2025.”
Given the progress of the scheme, the migration of a further 800,000 claimants on income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) only, or income-related ESA and Housing Benefit has been brought forward.
The DWP has been sending out letters to people in this group from September 2024 with the aim to notify everybody by December 2025.
Setting out the final deadline for the project, the Goverment said: “The DWP plans to move all legacy benefit claimants to Universal Credit by March 2026, completing the Universal Credit rollout and closing all legacy benefits by this date.”
Claimants get at least three months from the date of the migration notice to apply, and this can be extended if there is good reason.
Guidance on the Government website states: “If a person has not claimed Universal Credit by their deadline, but does so within one month, they are treated as having claimed on time and can still get transitional protection in their Universal Credit award.”
Transitional protection means if your payments are falling as a result of moving to Universal Credit, this is topped up to your previous amount.
Your entitlement to legacy benefits or tax credits ends when you claim Universal Credit, or on the day before the deadline if you have not put in your claim.
However, the rules state that Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA and Housing Benefit continue to be paid for two weeks after your entitlement ends.
