Six month warning to move from tax credits to universal credit

If you receive tax credits, you only have six months to make the move to universal credit before the legacy benefit ends in April 2025.

Anyone affected will be sent a ‘migration notice’ by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), who are urging people to respond so they continue to receive support.

You only have three months after getting your migration letter to apply for universal credit, or you could lose your existing benefits.

What are legacy benefits?

Legacy benefits are being phased out to bring government financial support into one place under the universal credit system.

They include:

• tax credits
• housing benefit
• income support
• jobseeker's allowance
• income-related employment and support allowance

Over a million people are still to make the move from legacy benefits onto universal credit.

Will I be better off with universal credit?

Most people will be better off after moving to universal credit.

If you happen to lose money when you make the switch, you’ll often receive a payment called transitional protection.

This transitional protection decreases gradually as your universal credit amount goes up.

Typically, you will receive transitional protection automatically, so there’s no need for you to apply for it.

How to 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 your claim, be prepared to wait five weeks for your initial payment. Once you start receiving it, you'll continue to do so unless your circumstances change.

If you don’t make a claim by the deadline date on your letter, your tax credits will stop on the day before.

Support is available

If you need any support during the migration process, don't hesitate to contact DWP.

If you think you might be missing out on benefits, we can check you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to. So get in touch or try our benefits calculator.