The DWP is in the process of moving people on to Universal Credit from a number of legacy benefits – and there’s a deadline you need to be aware of
Britons receiving particular benefits face a crucial deadline looming this year, with several payment schemes earmarked for elimination by 2026.
These payments, commonly referred to as legacy benefits, encompass Income Support, Income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit, and Working Tax Credit.
They’re destined to be entirely superseded by a unified payment system known as Universal Credit (UC), which millions are already receiving. This transition, termed “managed migration”, must be finalised by March 2026.
Citizens Advice outlines that you’ll be required to switch to Universal Credit when:
- You get a letter telling you to claim by a certain date – this is a “migration notice”
- One of your legacy benefits stops because your situation has changed
- You get a legacy benefit that isn’t ending straight away but you choose to move to Universal Credit anyway
Crucially, you must submit your own application as the transfer to Universal Credit doesn’t happen automatically, reports the Mirror.
Citizens Advice warns: “Once you start claiming Universal Credit, you can’t go back to legacy benefits”.
Turn2Us specialists emphasised: “Look out for a letter called a ‘Universal Credit Migration Notice’ from the DWP. This notice letter is important as it will tell you that your existing benefits are stopping, and you need to make a claim for Universal Credit. It will also tell you what you need to do and by when.”
They continued: “You might get a leaflet telling you to get ready for Universal Credit – if the letter you get doesn’t have a deadline on it, it isn’t your migration notice. Wait until you get a proper migration notice.”
Claim Universal Credit before your deadline
Citizens Advice emphasises that you must submit your Universal Credit claim “by the deadline” stated in your letter to continue receiving financial assistance. Your cut-off date should typically be at least three months from when the notice was posted.
The organisation explains: “If you claim Universal Credit before the deadline, the DWP might pay you extra to make sure you’re not worse off than on your legacy benefit. This is called ‘transitional protection’. You can only get transitional protection if you have a migration notice.”
What happens if you miss the cut-off date
Citizens Advice advises: “If the deadline day hasn’t passed yet, you can ask the DWP to extend it. You can only ask for this before the original deadline in the letter. If the DWP agree, they’ll send you a new deadline day.”
The charity adds: “If the deadline day has passed, you can still get transitional protection if you claim Universal Credit up to a month after the deadline. The end of the month is called the ‘final deadline’.”
However, they warn: “If you claim after the final deadline, you can still get Universal Credit – but you can’t get transitional protection.”
Further details can be found on the Citizens Advice website.
