We have more detailed information in the Managed Migration section – click here.
What should you do?
If you’ve received a ‘managed migration notice’ don’t ignore it.
IMPORTANT: A managed migration notice is a letter. It is notifying you that any legacy benefits that you are currently receiving (such as Income Support, Tax Credits and /or Housing Benefit) are due to end on a certain date. It will explain that to continue to receive this financial support you will need to claim Universal Credit.
It will have this statement in it: ‘This is a migration notice issued under regulation 44 of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014‘.
You will need to claim Universal Credit within 3 months of the letter being issued. If you fail to make a claim for Universal Credit your existing legacy benefits will eventually stop.
The legacy benefits are: Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance, Housing Benefit and Tax Credits.
NOTE: 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.
What is Managed Migration?
Managed Migration is the last phase of the introduction of Universal Credit.
Rather than waiting for existing legacy benefit claimants to make the move over to Universal Credit because they have a change in their circumstances that triggers a claim, or because they are better off and choose to claim – the DWP are starting to ‘invite’ people to move on to it.
But they are doing so slowly and do not expect this planned migration to be finished until 2026.
Legacy benefit claimants chosen to be part of this process will be issued with a formal ‘Migration Notice’.
Most legacy benefit claimants will receive their Migration Notice this year i.e. at some time during 2024.
The only claimants who may not receive their Migration Notice until 2025 are some Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, or Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit claimants who do not also get Child Tax Credit.
Next Steps?
If you’ve receive a migration notice speak to a Benefits Adviser as soon as possible. They will be able to:
- Explain the migration process and time limits.
- Work out the best time within the allocated 3 month window for you to claim Universal Credit and potentially maximise your entitlement to it.
- Explain what will happen to your existing benefits and discuss the swap to monthly payments.
- Work out your likely Universal Credit entitlement and provide tips to ensure your award is assessed correctly from the start.
- Consider any known existing debts that could be deducted from your Universal Credit award.
- Work out whether you could be entitled to ‘Transitional Protection’, and explain how this works.
- Ensure you are claiming all the benefits and extra help you are entitled to.
Example:
John is in receipt of Working Tax Credit and Housing Benefit. He contacts a Benefits Adviser when he receives his Migration Notice. After a chat, the Benefits Adviser explains that he should wait until after he has moved house (within the LA area) in a few weeks time before he claims Universal Credit. John will be entitled to Transitional Protection (TP). If he claims Universal Credit before the move then the increase in his Housing Costs Element will erode the Transitional Protection and will not receive any extra Universal Credit to help pay the increase in his rent.
Making a claim for Universal Credit
If you have received a Migration Notice and need to claim Universal Credit then you should make a claim in the normal way.
See How do I claim? for more information
You may be called into the Jobcentre, although they are also conducting interviews over the phone / videocall. If you are called into the Jobcentre for an interview you will need to attend.
If you cannot verify your ID online, then leave a message on your journal or, if you can’t access your journal, phone the Universal Credit helpline 0800 328 5644, and the DWP will call you and verify your ID over the phone instead.
If you need an Advance Payment you can apply for this online – but you will normally have to verify your ID before a payment can be made.
Your Jobcentre will know you have applied online: they will call you if they need to confirm any information with you in order to progress your claim.
Example:
Rashid made a claim for Universal Credit when he received his Migration Notice.
He claimed online and received a phone call from the DWP the following day, who took him through his claim and he provided them with evidence of his rent, and a photo of his passport.
He attended the Jobcentre to meet his Work Coach and discuss and agree his Claimant Commitment.
IMPORTANT: Some claimants may be better delaying making the claim – seek advice from a Benefits Adviser.
What is Transitional Protection?
Some claimants are worse off on Universal Credit – those claimants that are worse off who are Managed Migrated on to Universal Credit from the legacy benefit system will normally be entitled to Transitional Protection.
This means that they will – initially at least – may be no worse off when they transfer across onto Universal Credit.
If entitled, this Transitional Protection generally comes in the form of a Transitional Element that is included when your UC award is calculated.
To be entitled, you must make your claim for Universal Credit before a final deadline day and provide all the requested information.
After moving onto Universal Credit certain changes in your circumstances will mean that you will lose the Transitional Element.
And it erodes over time due to certain changes in your circumstances and as the general level of benefits increase.
NOTE:
There are time limited protections for those Tax Credit claimants with over £16,000 in savings/capital, some protections for those students able to claim legacy benefits but not UC.
But there is no Transitional Protection if you are worse off under Universal Credit because of the Benefit Cap.
Example:
Evanna had been on Income Support, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit. She is a lone parent with two children age 8 and 3 – one getting mid rate care DLA. She was sent a Migration Notice and so made a claim for UC.
When the DWP compares Evanna’s ‘total legacy amount’ to her ‘indicative UC amount’, her ‘indicative UC amount’ is lower. So when the DWP assess Evanna’s UC award, they included a Transitional Element when working out her maximum UC amount.
Your ‘indicative UC amount’ is the amount of Universal Credit the DWP estimate you would be entitled to based on your circumstances on the day before you make your claim for Universal Credit. Your actual Universal Credit award could be different.
I need help paying my rent
A Universal Credit award can include an amount towards your rent – called a Housing Costs Element.
See Help with your rent for more information.
If you are awarded some Universal Credit and it includes a Housing Costs Element then you may also be able to get additional support towards your rent through the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme.
See Discretionary Housing Payments for more information.
IMPORTANT: If the DWP call you it should display as 0800 232 635 but may display as other 0800 numbers, or an unknown number. If you get a call from an unknown number following a message in your UC account, answer the call as it’s likely to be DWP. If you are still not sure, message your Work Coach in your journal and ask them to say a certain word when they call.
“I really didn’t want to do the wrong thing – so I made an appointment with a Benefits Adviser.
He explained what I needed to do and helped me think about how I would budget monthly.”