IMPORTANT: If you claim UC before receiving your Migration Notice and are worse off on UC, you will miss out on any Transitional Protection you would have been entitled to. If you’ve received a booklet about Managed Migration – this is not your Migration Notice.
An online calculator says I’ll be worse off on Universal Credit / not entitled to any – do I still have to claim?
Yes, if you have received a Migration Notice then your ‘legacy benefits’ are ending . But your Universal Credit entitlement may be different to what the calculator told you!
Legacy benefits are: Tax Credits, Income Support, Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance and Housing Benefit.
Where the DWP sends someone a Migration Notice meaning they have no choice but to claim Universal Credit, the DWP do not think it would be fair if the change made them immediately worse off. So, they have put in place some Transitional Protections to prevent this from happening in most cases. Online calculators do not always account for these protections.
If you receive a Migration Notice and make a claim for Universal Credit by your final deadline day, you could be entitled to Transitional Protection. There are different types of protection.
See Received a Migration Notice? for more information on deadlines.
See Transitional Protection for more information on the various protections available.
I’ve just received / filled in my Tax Credit renewal pack – do I still need to make a claim for Universal Credit?
You will need to complete and return your Tax Credits renewal as normal. If you have also received a Migration Notice, then you will also have to make a claim for Universal Credit. Timing of that claim can be important – so speak to a Benefits Adviser.
See Is there a best time to claim? for more information of timing of the claim.
There’s a leaflet about Universal Credit in my Tax Credit renewal pack – is this my Migration Notice?
No. This leaflet is not your Migration Notice. The leaflet is to raise awareness that some people may be better off on Universal Credit. If you think this could be you, and you’d like to claim Universal Credit before receiving your Migration Notice, then get advice before making the claim, there’s more you MUST think about.
See Lots of think about for more information.
I’ve not had a letter about the move to Universal Credit, but a neighbour has, should I just make a claim?
You do not have to do anything until you personally receive your Migration Notice from the DWP informing you that you need to claim.
If you claim Universal Credit before you receive your Migration Notice you will not be entitled to any Transitional Protection that you could have been entitled to.
Some people may be better off on Universal Credit and want to claim as soon as possible, but there is lots you MUST think about before making a claim. It is always speak to a Benefits Adviser before making a claim for Universal Credit.
I’ve received a letter but I’m not sure if it is a Migration Notice
If it gives you a date by which you must claim Universal Credit, then it is a Migration Notice. At the bottom of each page of the letter it will state: ‘This is a migration notice issued under regulation 44 of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions)
Regulations 2014.’ If you are still unsure, seek advice.
I’ve received my Migration Notice but I’m going to struggle to make a claim before the date in the letter – what should I do?
Contact the DWP Migration Notice Helpline, explain why you are going to struggle and request an extension. They can give you an extra 4 weeks in which to claim.
See Received a Migration Notice for more information.
I’ve missed my deadline and my DWP benefit / Housing Benefit / Tax Credits have stopped – what should I do?
If you need the financial assistance that those means-tested benefits have given you, then you will need to make a claim for Universal Credit. If you make your claim within a calendar month of your ‘deadline day’, your Universal Credit claim will be backdated and there will be no gap between your other benefits ending and Universal Credit starting (and you could still receive any Transitional Protection you are entitled to). If it is over a month since your deadline, claim Universal Credit as soon as possible (note: there will be a gap in your entitlements, and you will not be entitled to Transitional Protection)
See Received a Migration Notice for more information.
I’ve been through Managed Migration, and I’m getting less through Universal Credit than I got from the benefits it replaced. Is that right?
There are various reasons why this might happen. For example, the DWP might have worked out your Transitional Element wrongly, or they might have missed it entirely. It might just be that in your case the rules can’t fully protect your previous entitlement. Or, you might now be affected by the Benefit Cap, or be having deductions taken from your Universal Credit for debts. Seek advice from a Benefits Advisor.
I’ve been through Managed Migration, and I’m getting more through Universal Credit than I got from the benefits it replaced. Is that right?
In some cases the rules mean that your Transitional Protection can work out to be more than you needed to top you back up to the same level as your previous benefits. If so, then you might lose the increased amount if you have future changes which affect the amount of Universal Credit you get. In other cases, Universal Credit is just more generous than the benefits it is replacing. Seek advice from a Benefits Advisor.