Moving to Universal Credit - Managed Migration

The Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) will send those who are still claiming legacy benefits, listed above, a Migration Notice.

This is a letter notifying them that their legacy benefit entitlement is due to end and inviting them to claim UC instead.

Universal Credit is a benefit for working aged people designed to simplify the welfare system. It combines the six legacy benefits into one single payment. It is designed to give you a minimum level of income based on your individual circumstances. It is for people who are working, looking for work, or unable to work due to an illness / disability or caring responsibility.

The six legacy benefits are: Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income-Based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Income Support, and Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA).

You should only need to claim Universal Credit if you have been sent a Migration Notice or have a change in your circumstances that would normally mean you would be looking to make a new claim for one of the benefits that Universal Credit is replacing. Always get advice (see above) before making a claim for Universal Credit – even if you think you will be better off.

As long as you provide all the necessary evidence, attend your new claim interview, agree your claimant commitment, and complete all the to-dos and actions the DWP have asked you to complete, then you should receive your first payment around 5 weeks after you claimed.

If you need help whilst waiting for your first Universal Credit payment, once you have verified your ID, then you can request an Advance Payment of your Universal Credit. This is an advance of your future award of your living costs and rent payment, and so you will pay it back over time through deductions from your on-going Universal Credit payments.

Universal Credit is a monthly benefit. You will receive your Universal Credit payments on or around the same date every month.

Once you know what this date will be you may want to start thinking about when your regular payments go out of your bank account.

The date of your first payment cannot change but you may be able to be paid more frequently.

Explain the difficulties you are going to have to your work coach. If agreed the DWP usually pay half of your UC award on your normal pay day, and then twice monthly, this is 24 payments a year. 

The DWP have made the decision that Tax Credits are ending and being replaced by Universal Credit. If you receive a Migration Notice, then this letter will give you the date that your Tax Credits are due to end. Staying on Tax Credits is not an option. 

Once you are chosen for Managed Migration, the DWP will send you a letter - called a Migration Notice - and your legacy benefit will end whether you make a claim for Universal Credit or not.

Contact the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline 0800 169 0328 Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm, explain why you are going to struggle and request an extension. They can give you an extra 4 weeks in which to claim, depending on your circumstances.

Your legacy benefits are set to end on that date and so your payments will stop. To continue to receive financial support you must make a claim for Universal Credit. If you are struggling to make your claim, the DWP can extend the deadline contact the UC Migration Notice Helpline 0800 169 0328 Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm.

You can call the UC Managed Migration Helpline 0800 169 0328 Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm and ask for an extension to your deadline. You should explain that you have only just started to engage with the migration process and need time to seek advice and organise your UC claim. They can give you an extra 4 weeks in which to claim. You need to make a claim for UC before your deadline – seek advice if you have time (see above).

If you need financial assistance then you will need to make a claim for Universal Credit. If you make your claim within a month of your deadline, your UC claim will be backdated and there will be no gap between your old benefit ending and UC starting (and you could still be entitled to any Transitional Protection you are entitled to). If it is over a month since your deadline, there will be a gap in your entitlements, and you will not be entitled to Transitional Protection.

Yes. You can ring up the Universal Credit Managed Migration Helpline 0800 169 0328 Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm and request a copy.

If it gives you a date by which you must claim Universal Credit, then it is a Migration Notice. At the bottom of each page of the letter it will state: ‘This is a migration notice issued under regulation 44 of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014.’ If you are still unsure, seek advice.

Yes. You can ring the Universal Credit Managed Migration Helpline 0800 169 0328 Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm and they will use the reference number on the letter to work out if it is genuine.

If you have a received a Migration Notice, then you will need to claim Universal Credit before the date given. There may be a better time for you to claim i.e., either before or after the move, so contact us.

If, because of the move, you are going to struggle to make your Universal Credit claim by the date in your Migration Notice, contact the UC Migration Notice Helpline. Explain your situation and request an extension - they may be able to give you extra time to make your claim.