If a brown envelope from the Department for Work and Pensions has landed on your doormat telling you to move to universal credit, you are not alone. Millions of migration notice letters have already been sent, and the clock is ticking. This guide walks you through exactly what the letter means, what you need to do, and how to protect your income throughout the managed migration process.
Key Takeaways
If you have received a migration notice, you must claim universal credit by the deadline date printed in your letter. If you do not, your existing benefits will stop.
Only people who received a migration notice and claim on time can get transitional protection, which tops up your universal credit award if it would otherwise be lower than your previous benefits.
You normally have three months from the date of the letter to make your universal credit claim, plus up to one extra month in some cases.
Legacy benefits such as tax credits, income support, income related employment and support allowance, income based jobseeker's allowance, and housing benefit for most tenancies are ending by March 2026 and will usually stop even if you do nothing.
Claims are usually made on universal credit online, where you will need to verify your identity online and provide bank account details. You can call the universal credit migration notice helpline if you need help.
Separate disability benefits like personal independence payment continue and are not replaced. Extra help is available with things like health costs, budgeting, and british sign language or interpreter support.
What Is a Universal Credit Migration Notice?
A universal credit migration notice is an official letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) telling you that your current benefit paid under the legacy system is ending, and that you must make a claim for universal credit. The letter will clearly state that it is a migration notice and will include a deadline day by which your universal credit claim must be submitted.
Receiving a migration notice letter usually means you are on one or more of the following benefits:
Child tax credit
Working tax credit
Income support
Income based jobseeker's allowance
Income related esa (income-related Employment and Support Allowance)
Housing benefit (for most standard tenancies)
The government aims to move most remaining legacy benefit claimants to universal credit, with legacy benefits due to close completely by 31 March 2026. The managed migration process ends by July 2026 for most recipients still in scope.
If the letter you received has no deadline and simply provides information, it is not a formal migration notice. In that situation, you do not have to move to universal credit yet.
Only Act If You Have Received a Migration Notice
This guidance is aimed at people who have received a migration notice about moving to universal credit. If you have not received one, you should generally not claim universal credit purely because of the migration programme. Doing so early-before you get a migration notice-could mean you lose out on transitional protection entirely.
Here is how to recognise the letter:
It will come from DWP (Great Britain) or the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland)
It will mention "managed migration" or "Move to Universal Credit"
It will set out a specific deadline date to claim
If you think you should have received a migration notice but have not, contact DWP or the relevant service centre. Seek independent advice from a benefits advisor before taking any action. If you have an appointee, the migration notice will normally be sent directly to that appointee, who is responsible for making the universal credit claim on your behalf.
Benefits Affected and What Continues
When you get a migration notice, certain legacy benefits will end and be replaced by universal credit. Others will continue separately.
Benefits being replaced:
Legacy Benefit | Status |
|---|---|
Child tax credit | Tax credits have ended and been replaced by universal credit |
Working tax credit | Ended and replaced by universal credit |
Income support | Will end and be replaced by universal credit |
Income based jobseeker's allowance | Has been replaced by universal credit |
Income related employment and support allowance | Will be replaced by universal credit |
Housing benefit (standard tenancies) | Housing benefit will end unless in supported accommodation |
Benefits that continue separately:
Personal independence payment
Disability Living Allowance
Carer's Allowance
Contribution-based New Style JSA and employment and support allowance
For people in supported or temporary accommodation, housing benefit may continue to be paid by the local authority while universal credit covers other living costs. However, universal credit will not include a housing costs element at the same time.
If you fail to claim universal credit by the deadline and any permitted extension, your legacy benefit awards will end even if you do nothing. You could be left with only non-means-tested benefits like personal independence payment.
Deadlines, Extensions and Transitional Protection
The deadline on your migration notice is the single most important date in this process. Missing it affects both your income and your eligibility for transitional protection.
Most people are given at least three months from the date on their migration notice letter to make a universal credit claim. The exact deadline date is clearly printed in the letter.
If you cannot claim in time, contact the credit migration notice helpline before your deadline to request an extension. Valid reasons include illness, bereavement, difficulty accessing identity documents, or language barriers. Claimants can request an extension to their deadline under certain circumstances.
Current rules allow people who claim universal credit within one month after the original deadline-sometimes called the "final deadline"-to still qualify for transitional protection, provided they make a valid claim in that period. Claiming after the deadline may result in losing transitional protection permanently.
You will not receive transitional protection if you claim before a migration notice arrives or if you voluntarily move to universal credit due to a change of circumstances. You must claim universal credit by your migration notice deadline for protection.
Understanding Transitional Protection
Transitional protection is an extra element added to your universal credit award to make sure you are not worse off at the point of managed migration compared with your previous benefits. Transitional protection payments make up the difference if universal credit is lower than what you were getting before.
Worked example: Maria receives income support, housing benefit, and child tax credit totalling £780 per month. After claiming universal credit following her migration notice, her universal credit amount is calculated at £600 per month. Because this is £180 less than her old benefits, a transitional element of £180 is automatically added to her universal credit payment, bringing the total to £780-the same amount as before.
No separate application for transitional protection is needed. It is only available if you have received a migration notice and claim by the deadline.
Transitional protection is temporary. The transitional protection payment is frozen in cash terms. It will gradually reduce or stop when other parts of your universal credit award increase-for example, through annual benefit uprating or qualifying for extra elements such as support for children, rent, or disability.
Transitional protection lasts until universal credit exceeds previous benefits. Certain changes in personal circumstances can end it altogether, including:
Forming or ending a couple (including other civil partners)
Starting or ending responsibility for a child
Moving from one local housing allowance area to another
Significant changes in earnings
Special Situations: ESA, Housing Benefit, Students and Savings
Some groups face special eligibility rules when moving from legacy benefits to universal credit after a migration notice.
Employment and support allowance claimants: People moving from income related esa who have already had a work capability assessment usually keep their assessed status when they claim universal credit. Those in the support group or work-related activity group generally do not need a fresh medical assessment immediately.
Housing benefit in supported accommodation: If you are getting housing benefit and live in supported or temporary accommodation, housing benefit may continue for your rent. You should still declare housing costs on your universal credit claim so your situation is assessed correctly.
Full time student rules: Some students can claim universal credit when they have a migration notice. For example, certain disabled students or students with children may qualify. Eligibility rules may differ during the transition to universal credit, so check the current student guidance before assuming you are ineligible.
Savings over £16,000: Tax credit claimants who received a migration notice and have more than £16,000 in savings or investments at the point of claim benefit from a transitional capital disregard. They can still qualify for universal credit initially, but will lose entitlement if capital remains above £16,000 after 12 assessment periods (months). Savings between £6,000 and £16,000 reduce your universal credit through tariff income rules. A building society account or any other savings account counts toward these thresholds.
How to Claim: Step‑by‑Step Process
Most people will be expected to claim universal credit online using the government's service. You can apply for universal credit online or by phone if you cannot use digital services.
Here are the practical steps:
Create a universal credit online account at the government website
Complete the claim form with your details
Submit details of income, rent, children, and any health condition or disability
Confirm the claim within the time limit given (often 28 days from starting)
Information you will typically need:
Bank details (bank account, building society, or credit union account)
Email address and phone number
National Insurance number
Rent and housing details, including housing costs and childcare costs
Employer and earnings information (or self employed income details)
Savings and investments
Details of any disabilities, caring responsibilities, or health condition
You will be asked to verify your identity online, usually by providing details from a passport, driving licence, debit or credit card, P60 or payslip. If you cannot confirm your identity online, an appointment at the Jobcentre will be arranged.
People who cannot use digital services-including some with health conditions-can call the migration notice helpline to make or complete a claim. Additional support, including interpreters or british sign language options, is available where needed.
Couples, Mixed‑Age Couples and Living Apart
Universal credit treats people who live together as a couple differently from those who live alone, and this affects how a migration notice is handled.
Couples living in the same household must make a joint claim. Each partner creates their own universal credit online accounts and links them using a code from the first online account.
If both partners receive separate migration notices but live apart (not in the same household), they will usually need to make separate single claims. Transitional protection for couples living apart may be different or not available.
For mixed-age couples-where one partner is at state pension age and the other is under-you usually must claim universal credit rather than pension credit when you receive a migration notice. Some over-pension-age claimants on tax credits alone may move to pension credit instead.
Other civil partners or spouses should check the state pension age rules carefully. Moving to universal credit or pension credit can affect eligibility for transitional protection, so timing and advice are important.
Payment Timings, Bank Accounts and Health Costs
Your first universal credit payment usually takes five weeks after the claim is submitted. Universal credit is normally paid monthly, directly into a bank, building society, or credit union account.
Legacy benefits usually stop close to when the universal credit claim is made or when the migration deadline passes. Some existing benefits-such as housing benefit or income related esa-may continue for about two weeks as a "run-on," but this is not guaranteed for all benefits.
If you do not have a bank account, contact the universal credit migration notice helpline to discuss alternative payment arrangements. Basic bank accounts are available from most high-street banks and do not require a credit check.
While universal credit covers day-to-day living costs, it can also act as a gateway to other benefits and financial support, including free school meals, help with NHS health costs such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests, and support with council tax.
You can request an advance payment through your universal credit online account if you cannot manage until the first universal credit payment date. However, advances are loans and must be repaid through deductions money taken from future universal credit amounts.
Claimants must manage their own housing costs directly with their landlord once they receive their universal credit payment, unless alternative payment arrangements have been set up.
Getting Help, Advice and Accessible Support
No one needs to navigate their migration notice and universal credit claim alone. The DWP provides a Migration Notice helpline for claimants needing assistance. The universal credit helpline number is 0800 169 0328, available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. Calls are free from most mobiles and landlines.
You should also consider contacting independent advice services. Claimants should contact a citizens advice representative for help during the transition. Local welfare rights services can check how much universal credit you would receive, help with the claim, and explain transitional protection and health costs.
Support exists for people who use british sign language, have hearing or speech difficulties, or need interpretation in another language. This is typically provided via textphone, relay, in-person appointments, or BSL video relay services. Tell DWP and any advice agencies about your preferred communication method as early as possible so that reasonable adjustments can be put in place before important deadlines.
Keep copies or photos of your migration notice letter, note down any deadlines, and record calls or messages with DWP or advisers for future reference.
After You Claim: Responsibilities and Changes in Circumstances
Once your universal credit claim is submitted, you must manage your online account and keep your details up to date to continue receiving financial support without gaps or overpayments.
You will need to:
Sign in regularly to your universal credit online accounts
Read and reply to messages from the universal credit team
Agree and accept a "claimant commitment" outlining what is expected of you, such as work search or work preparation activities where appropriate
Changes you must report promptly:
Changes to income or earnings
Rent or housing costs changes
People moving in or out of the same household
Starting or stopping work
Changes to a health condition
Changes to savings and investments, including going above or below £6,000 and £16,000 thresholds
Your universal credit amount is calculated monthly based on your circumstances. Failing to report changes or giving incorrect information can lead to overpayments that have to be repaid, deductions from future payments, or in serious cases a civil penalty.
If a claimant experiences significant changes, they may lose their transitional protection over time. For example, forming a new couple or a significant increase in earnings can affect both the level of universal credit and whether the transitional element continues. If your circumstances change in a major way, seek advice before making big decisions where possible.
If you claimed before receiving a migration notice, or if you allowed the deadline to pass without action, you will not receive means tested support through transitional protection. You cannot go back to your old benefits or previous benefits once they have ended.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I have received a migration notice but already claimed Universal Credit?
If you have already made a universal credit claim and then receive a migration notice for the same period, contact DWP immediately through your online journal or by calling the universal credit helpline. You may still be considered under managed migration rules. Entitlement to get transitional protection will depend on the timing and reason for the earlier claim. Seek independent advice quickly to check whether the decision can be revised, as existing means tested benefits may have already ended.
Can I ignore my migration notice and stay on my old benefits?
No. Ignoring a migration notice is not an option. If you do not claim universal credit by the deadline and any agreed extension, your current benefit paid under the legacy system will stop and will not restart. Your legacy benefit awards will be closed. Contact an advice agency well before the deadline so you can understand how universal credit would compare to your existing benefits and whether transitional protection might help you receive means tested support at the same amount or more.
How does my bank account affect my Universal Credit claim?
Having a bank account, building society account, or credit union account is normally required because universal credit is paid directly into it each month. People who cannot open a standard account should ask about basic bank accounts or alternative payment arrangements via the migration notice helpline. Keep your bank details up to date in your universal credit online account to avoid missing payments.
Will my Personal Independence Payment stop when I move to Universal Credit?
Personal independence payment is separate from universal credit and is not being replaced by it. Moving to universal credit after a migration notice does not automatically affect PIP. You must still report relevant changes in health or care needs directly to PIP. Universal credit may include additional elements for people with limited capability for work alongside any PIP award, so claiming both is common.
Is there extra support if I use British Sign Language or have communication needs?
Claimants who use british sign language, or who have speech or hearing difficulties, can access support through interpreter services, BSL video relay, textphone, or in-person appointments arranged via the universal credit helpline or local office. Tell DWP and any advice agencies about your preferred communication method as early as possible so that reasonable adjustments are in place before important deadlines and appointments.
