Moving to universal credit this year

Over a million people will be moved from older ‘legacy’ benefits to universal credit this year.

Find out everything you need to know if you’ve yet to make the move.

Why will I be moved from legacy benefits to universal credit?

Universal credit has been gradually replacing legacy benefits through a process called “managed migration”.

This has been going on for a few years now, with a pause during the pandemic.

About 2.6 million people were still on legacy benefits when transfers restarted in May 2022.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants everyone moved over by March 2026.

When will I have to switch to universal credit?

You’ll receive a “migration notice” in the post when it’s your turn.

This notice gives you a three-month deadline to start claiming universal credit or risk losing your payments.

You won’t be automatically moved over so make sure you submit a claim by the deadline in your letter.

After that, your current benefits will stop.

DWP wants to reach all claimants by December 2025.

Which benefits are being replaced by universal credit?

Benefits being replaced include:

• housing benefit
• income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
• income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
• child tax credit
• working tax credit
• income support

Will I be better off with universal credit?

DWP estimates 55% of claimants will be better off, while 35% may be worse off as you may have a different level of income under universal credit.

Everyone else will be about the same.

If you lose money because of the switch, don’t worry; you can get an extra payment called ‘transitional protection’.

These payments will cover the shortfall until your universal credit equals your old benefits.

This should happen automatically, so you don’t need to apply for it.

Can I switch to universal credit early?

If you think you’d be better off with universal credit, you can choose to switch early.

But you won’t be able to switch back to your old benefits if you do. Use our free online benefits calculator to see what works best for you.

How do I claim universal credit?

You can submit your universal credit claim in several ways:

• online
• by phone at 0800 169 0328
• in person at your local jobcentre

After you submit a universal credit claim, your previous benefits will stop. It may take five weeks for your first payment to arrive.

Some legacy benefits will continue for two weeks to help ease this transition.

Support is available

If you need any support during the migration process, contact DWP.

If you think you might be missing out on benefits, get in touch so we can check you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to.