Over 180,000 have benefits stopped after missing deadline

Nearly 200,000 people who missed their deadline to switch to universal credit (UC) have had their benefits stopped.

In total, 184,120 individuals failed to move over between July 2022 and March 2024, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Who has to switch to universal credit?

If you’re claiming any of the following benefits, you’ll have to move to universal credit at some point:

• working tax credit
• child tax credit
• housing benefit
• income support
• income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• income-related employment and support allowance

Two million households claiming these benefits have been gradually moving over to UC since last May. But the switch isn’t automatic, you’re sent a migration notice and then you have three months to make the change.

More than 800,000 migration notices have been sent out since March 2024, DWP said.

Will I get the same amount of money with universal credit?

DWP has assured people they won’t be worse off to begin with when they make the switch – if your UC award is lower than your previous benefit amount, you should get a top-up payment known as transitional protection.

What to do if you receive a migration notice

If you receive a migration notice, you’ll need to claim UC by the deadline to continue receiving payments.

First, create an account on the government website. Then make your claim within 28 days of creating the account to avoid having to start again.

If you live with a partner, you’ll need to make a joint claim if you’re:

• married
• civil partners
• living together as if married

You’ll each need to create your own UC accounts. Only one of you will receive a code which you can both use to make your separate accounts. This will link your accounts under one joint claim.

Find out more about what you need to make a claim on the government website.

Do you need money help?

If you’ve lost out on payments or if money is tight, we can help.

We give advice online 24/7 or you can give us a ring. We can help with everything from creating a budget to checking your benefits entitlement.

If you’re in arrears, we can also advise you on any debt solutions that might be suitable. Some solutions are free, others have a fee.