Employment and Support Allowance payments will stop from March 2026 as the DWP completes its migration to Universal Credit, affecting over one million claimants
A DWP benefit will cease to be paid beyond March due to significant welfare changes.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is the last ‘legacy’ benefit being phased out as part of the lengthy process to transition to Universal Credit (UC).
ESA claimants should have received migration notices in the post instructing them to apply for UC instead, reports Birmingham Live.
Those who have successfully applied will be transferred to the new benefit, as ESA, both individually and in conjunction with Housing Benefit, will no longer be paid.
From Sunday, March 1 onwards, the DWP will begin to wind down ESA payments. However, some claimants risk losing their benefits if they have not applied in time. The transition to UC is not automatic.
Migration notices would have informed households that they had three months to apply for UC. This will conclude the process of phasing out a number of legacy benefits, which began years ago under the Conservatives.
They have all been consolidated into a single UC payment. ESA is claimed by over one million Brits with disabilities or health conditions affecting how much they can work.