12 February 2024 , 11:13
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Millions of people claiming older Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC benefits are set to see their benefits replaced by Universal Credit.
The benefits which are set to be scrapped are known as "Legacy Benefits" and include the likes of Tax Credits, Income Support, and Housing Benefits. They will be replaced by Universal Credit, which was first introduced in 2013 and is a single payment which can consist of several different elements to cover housing, children, disabilities and caring for dependents.
There are currently six benefits that fall under legacy benefits and you can no longer make a new claim for them. The benefits are:
- Housing Benefit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
The DWP has been phasing out the legacy benefits for a few years and restarted the move again last year after briefly pausing during the Coronavirus pandemic. At the time of the managed migration restarting, around 2.6million people were still claiming old-style legacy benefits in the UK.
The transfer over to Universal Credit is called "managed migration" and this is a gradual process which the DWP expects to have fully completed by 2028. The DWP says the majority of those claiming legacy benefits are expected to have been moved over by March 2025.
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Those who claim income-related ESA only and do not get Tax Credits have a slightly longer deadline and will be transferred across by 2028. The DWP is conducting its move to Universal Credit programme in stages and when it is your turn you will receive a "migration notice" in the post.
Once you receive this you will only have three months to put a claim in for Universal Credit. If you do not put in a claim before this deadline, then you will have your benefit payments stopped and you'll have to wait five weeks for your first Universal Credit payment to arrive. The DWP says the majority of people will be better off on Universal Credit however some people could be worse off - around 300,000 benefit claimants will see no change.
The DWP guidance says: “On Universal Credit, most people will be entitled to the same amount they received from their previous benefits or more. If the amount you are entitled to on your existing benefits is more than you will get on universal credit, a top-up is available. This is called transitional protection."
The transitional protection lasts until there is no difference between the amount awarded under Universal Credit and what you received before under legacy benefits. You can make your claim for Universal Credit online, but you can also use the Migration Notice helpline on 0800 169 0328 if necessary - you can also ask your local Job Centre for help with your claim.