Universal Credit 'managed migration' enters final phase
Most legacy benefit claimants have now been moved to Universal Credit. Around 600,000 households on Employment Support Allowance remain in the final wave.
By Money Guide editorial team
Published:
The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that the multi-year programme moving claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit is in its final phase, with the remaining cohorts — mainly households on income-related ESA — set to receive migration notices through 2026.
Claimants who receive a migration notice have three months to make a Universal Credit claim. Failing to do so within the deadline means losing the income that the legacy benefit was providing. 'Transitional protection' tops up the new Universal Credit award where it would otherwise be lower than the legacy benefits.
Free advice on the migration process is available from Citizens Advice's Help to Claim service (online, phone and face-to-face), commissioned and funded by DWP.
Existing UC claimants who experience a change in circumstances — moving home, losing or gaining work, having a child — should report it as normal through their online journal.