Moving from legacy benefits to universal credit

Legacy benefits are those that you could get before universal credit was introduced in 2013 e.g. jobseeker’s allowance.

Which legacy benefits are being replaced by universal credit?

Six legacy benefits are gradually being phased out:

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

Other benefits, e.g. personal independence payment or new style benefits, aren’t affected by the changes. 

New style employment and support allowance and new style jobseeker’s allowance are both contributory benefits that you can get alongside universal credit. 

Can I still claim legacy benefits?

You can’t make a new claim for any legacy benefits. 

If you’re still claiming any of the six benefits mentioned, you can stay on them until the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) tells you otherwise. 

The government wants everyone getting legacy benefits to move to universal credit by the end of 2025. 

Originally, the aim was to switch everyone by 2029 but the government has sped things up.

You don’t have to do anything until the government sends you a migration notice. Once you get this, you’ll have three months to make the switch.

If you can’t claim by the deadline, you can ask for an extension. If DWP agrees, they’ll send you a new deadline.

What is transitional protection?

If you claim universal credit before your deadline, you can get ‘transitional protection’. 

This is when you’re paid extra money to prevent you being worse off on universal credit than on your old benefits. 

The amount you’ll get will be lowered over time until you’re getting what you usually would with universal credit. 

Transitional protection can also be given if you wouldn’t usually be eligible for universal credit e.g.:

• you’re a full-time student – you can usually get it until your course finishes
• you get tax credits and have over £16,000 in savings or investments – you’ll get universal credit for up to a year (called a ‘transitional capital disregard’)

You won’t get transitional protection if:

• you choose to move to universal credit before the government tells you to
• if you miss your deadline by more than a month
• if you need to claim universal credit because of a change in circumstances rather than because you got a migration notice

Can I move onto universal credit before the government tells me?

If you think you’ll be better off with universal credit, you can move over straight away. 

You can use our free benefits calculator to see if you’ll be better off making the move early.

You might also need to move over to universal credit sooner if there’s a change in your circumstances e.g. a joint tax credit claim ends following a split from your partner or you’ve moved house and have a different local council.  

No. You’ll need to apply for universal credit before the deadline date on your letter. If you don’t, your benefits payments will stop.

Can I switch back to legacy benefits after moving to universal credit?

No. You can’t change your mind and switch back.

If you claimed tax credits only, you’ll have been sent a migration notice between April 2023 and March 2024. 

It usually takes five weeks for you to get your first universal credit payment and it might be paid differently to your existing benefits. 

If you’re part of a couple, only one of you will get paid universal credit, although there are some exceptions.

If you get housing benefit, you’ll have to pay your rent yourself out of your universal credit. 

You’ll have to agree a claimant commitment to get universal credit saying what you’ll do to find work. If you’re not able to work, you’ll still have to sign but you won’t be asked to look for a job.

If you claim before the deadline: 

• child and working tax credits will stop the day before your universal credit claim
• the other four benefits will stop two weeks after your universal credit claim

If you claim after the deadline:

• tax credits stop the day before the deadline
• the other four benefits will stop two weeks after the deadline

You may be able to get an advance on your first universal credit payment if you’ll struggle to pay for essentials.

Examples

Your migration letter’s deadline to move to universal credit is 20 June. 

You apply for universal credit on 1 June.  

If you get tax credits, they’ll stop on 31 May. 

If you get housing benefit, income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or income-related employment and support allowance, they will stop on 15 June.

You’ll get your first universal credit payment five weeks after 1 June on 7 July.

Your migration letter’s deadline to move to universal credit is 20 June. 

You apply for universal credit on 21 June. 

If you get tax credits, they’ll stop on 19 May. 

If you get housing benefit, income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or income-related employment and support allowance, they will stop on 4 July.

You’ll get your first universal credit payment five weeks after 21 June on 26 July.