Moving to Universal Credit
You might have heard the term ‘managed migration’ or ‘move to UC’ or, if you’re under State Pension age, you may have received a letter to tell you that benefits that you currently claim are being moved to Universal Credit.
Amanda Ryan, bpha’s Money Advice Manager
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What you need to know
Six types of benefits are becoming part of Universal Credit (UC) – that process is called managed migration. When the time is right, you’ll be asked to apply for Universal Credit. The changes are taking place over time, so you may have already been moved across, or it may be happening in the next year.
It affects:
- Child Tax Credit (migration completed)
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Working Tax Credit (migration completed).
This is a planned and organised transition but it’s not automatic, so you do need to act when asked to. This is being done in phases though, so don’t worry if you know someone who has received a letter but you haven’t.
Here’s what you need to do:
Check your post:
When it’s time for you to move across, you’ll receive a letter – called a migration notice – from the Department of Work and Pensions with all the information you need, including a deadline date to make your UC claim by.
Take action:
Follow any instructions in your letter – it’s important that you claim UC by the deadline you’re given so that your benefits payments continue. You will be sent text message reminders that you need to take action.
Talk to us:
If you are worried about the move, or have any difficulties understanding your letter, contact us and one of our Money Advisers can help.
Other help:
- A complete guide to moving to Universal Credit
- A guide to moving to Universal Credit once you’ve received your migration notice
- How to verify your identity when applying for Universal Credit.