Universal Credit Migration: What To Do When You Receive a Migration Notice

If you've recently found a letter from the DWP in your post telling you to move to universal credit, you're not alone. Millions of people across Great Britain and Northern Ireland are going through the same managed migration process right now. The universal credit migration process is mandatory for individuals on legacy benefits, and missing your deadline can mean losing income you depend on.

This guide walks you through exactly what you need to do, when you need to do it, and how to protect your income along the way.

Key Takeaways

• Most legacy benefits, including housing benefit and income related employment and support allowance, are being phased out. Legacy benefits will be phased out by July 2026. You must make a claim for universal credit to continue receiving financial support.

• If you have received a migration notice letter with a deadline date, you must claim universal credit by that date, or within one extra month, to qualify for transitional protection.

• If you miss the deadline and do not claim, your existing benefits such as tax credits, housing benefit, income support or ESA will stop and you could face a gap in income. Among tax-credit-only households sent migration notices, roughly 27% did not claim in time and had their benefits closed.

• Most people can claim universal credit online, and you will need to verify your identity online and provide a bank account for your UC payment. Phone support and british sign language services are also available.

• Some benefits like personal independence payment, disability living allowance, and New Style ESA are not replaced by universal credit and will continue alongside your universal credit claim.

Only follow this guide if you’ve received a migration notice

This section is for people who have received a formal universal credit migration notice from the DWP (or the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland) with a printed deadline to claim. A migration notice letter is sent by the DWP to affected individuals. If you have one, this guide is for you.

Here's how to recognise a genuine migration notice:

• The letter will have the phrase "Universal Credit Migration Notice" on the first page

• It will list the specific benefits it says will end (for example, your current benefit paid through tax credits or housing benefit)

• It will include a specific deadline date printed clearly in the letter

If you have not received a migration notice, you do not have to move yet. However, most remaining legacy benefit claimants are expected to be contacted before legacy benefits end, so check official guidance before making any voluntary universal credit claim.

One critical point: once a universal credit claim is made, whether after a migration notice or voluntarily, you cannot go back to tax credits or other legacy benefits, even if you end up worse off.

Which benefits are ending and which continue

Legacy benefits are being phased out and replaced by universal credit for working age people as part of managed migration. This process is expected to complete across Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the coming months.

Benefits that are ending and will be replaced by a universal credit claim:

• Child tax credit - tax credits have ended and been replaced by universal credit

• Working tax credit

• Income based jobseeker's allowance - this has been replaced by universal credit

• Income related employment and support allowance - this will be replaced by universal credit

• Income support - this will end and be replaced by universal credit

• Most housing benefit for working age claimants - housing benefit will end unless you are in supported accommodation

Benefits that are not replaced by universal credit and will usually continue:

• Personal independence payment (PIP)

• Disability living allowance (DLA)

• Carer's Allowance

• New Style ESA (contribution-based)

• New Style JSA

• Council Tax Reduction / rates support

• Pension credit (if applicable)

If you live in specified or temporary accommodation, such as a hostel, refuge, or supported housing with care and supervision, your housing benefit may continue. In those cases, you cannot also get the housing costs element of universal credit for the same rent.

If you get a migration notice and do nothing, your legacy benefit awards will still stop at or shortly after your deadline day, even if you have not yet made a universal credit claim. Your benefits will end the day before the deadline if you don't claim.

When you must claim Universal Credit

Your migration notice sets a deadline date for making your universal credit claim. You have three months to claim after receiving a migration notice. This date is crucial for keeping your income and accessing transitional protection.

Here's how the timeline works:

If you claim on or before the deadline day:

• Your existing benefits usually continue for a short run-on period (except tax credits, which stop the day before you claim universal credit)

• You keep your right to transitional protection

• Housing benefit typically runs on for about two more weeks

The final deadline:

• You normally have one extra month after the deadline day to claim UC and still qualify for transitional protection

• Your universal credit award will be treated as starting from the original deadline day, even if you claimed later

• Claiming after the final deadline means losing transitional protection entirely

If you cannot claim in time:

• You can request an extension before the original deadline by contacting the universal credit migration notice helpline

• The DWP will usually consider "good reasons" such as illness, caring responsibilities, lack of internet access, or difficulty obtaining documents

• Contact the helpline during their standard opening hours as early as possible; do not wait until after the deadline passes

If you claim universal credit after the final deadline or long after your previous benefits have stopped, you will be treated as a new claimant under normal eligibility rules with no transitional protection, and there may be a gap in payments. You must claim universal credit by your deadline date.

Moving from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and other health-related benefits

Many people moving under managed migration currently receive income related employment and support allowance, often alongside housing benefit. If you're in this group, you may be worried about your work capability assessment and whether your support allowance level will change.

Here's what happens:

• If you move from income-related ESA to universal credit as part of managed migration and you already had a work capability assessment decision, you will normally not need to provide new medical evidence or have a fresh assessment straight away. Your existing Work-Related Activity Group or Support Group decision usually transfers to the equivalent universal credit element.

• You must continue providing fit notes or medical evidence after you claim UC if requested. The DWP may schedule another work capability assessment if your review date is due or your condition changes.

• Personal independence payment and disability living allowance are separate from ESA and universal credit. They are not replaced by universal credit and can continue after you migrate, but they may affect how much universal credit you receive.

• Existing support allowance payments, including ESA premiums, are taken into account when calculating transitional protection so that you are not immediately worse off if your universal credit award is lower than your previous benefits.

As of December 2025, around 69% of people who had moved via managed migration were in the "no work requirements" conditionality regime, reflecting the large number of claimants with health conditions or disabilities.

Eligibility and special rules during managed migration

Receiving a migration notice changes some of the normal universal credit eligibility rules because of transitional protection. This particularly affects savings, student status, and state pension age.

• You can usually claim UC even if you are working, as long as you meet the basic rules on income, capital, and residence. Universal credit can help with living costs and possibly housing costs depending on your personal circumstances.

• Claimants moving from tax credits to universal credit may have a temporarily ignored £16,000 capital limit. If you were getting tax credits and have savings over £16,000, those excess savings are disregarded for up to 12 monthly assessment periods. If your savings remain above £16,000 after that period, your universal credit claim will stop under standard rules.

• Some people studying as a full time student, who would not normally qualify for universal credit, may be able to claim if they have received a migration notice. This applies particularly if you are responsible for a child or have limited capability for work, and it lasts until the end of your current course.

• If you are already over state pension age, or in a mixed-age couple where only one partner has reached state pension age, different rules apply. Check whether you should claim pension credit, universal credit, or both according to the instructions in your migration notice.

• Transitional protection, including the transitional capital disregard, is only available if you have received a migration notice and make your universal credit claim by your deadline or final deadline. It does not apply if you moved to universal credit early due to a change of circumstances or a voluntary claim.

Couples where one partner is over state pension age and the other is under it, sometimes called "mixed-age couples," should pay particular attention to their migration notice, as the rules for these households differ from those where both partners are of working age and live in the same household.

What you’re likely to get on Universal Credit

Universal credit is a single monthly payment that can include a standard allowance plus extra amounts for children, rent, disability or health conditions, childcare costs, and caring responsibilities. The universal credit amount is worked out from your household circumstances.

Most people who move via the managed migration process receive roughly the same amount or more than their previous benefits at the point of transfer, thanks to transitional protection. However, the exact figure depends on your income, savings, rent, and household size.

Key points about how your UC payment is calculated:

• Universal credit uses monthly "assessment periods." Earnings you receive during each monthly period, including from employment, self employed income, and pensions, can change the amount of your universal credit payment for that month.

• Universal credit payments are made monthly, unlike legacy benefits which are often paid fortnightly. This means you need to budget differently.

• Deductions can be taken from your universal credit for rent arrears, benefit overpayments, court fines, and some utility debts. These deductions money are not taken from specific elements like child elements or childcare costs, and they do not affect housing costs paid through housing benefit in supported accommodation.

• Automatic deductions from old benefits stop when transitioning to universal credit.

You can use reputable, independent online benefits calculators (such as those from Citizens Advice or Turn2Us) to estimate how much universal credit you might receive. Keep in mind these tools may not show deductions or the transitional element, and the DWP is not responsible for their results.

Understanding transitional protection

Transitional protection is an extra "top-up" added to your universal credit when you move through managed migration. Transitional protection tops up universal credit if it's lower than your previous benefits, so your total universal credit award is not lower at the point you move than the legacy benefits you were previously receiving.

You do not need to apply separately for transitional protection; it's automatic. If you have a migration notice and claim on time, the DWP or Department for Communities will compare your old benefit total to your new universal credit entitlement and add a transitional element if needed.

Worked example:

Suppose your previous benefits totalled £800 per month. After claiming universal credit, your new entitlement under standard rules comes to £600. The DWP will add a transitional protection payment of £200 as a transitional element, keeping your total at £800 initially.

Transitional protection payments can decrease over time. Specifically, transitional protection payments can decrease if your universal credit entitlement increases, for example when benefit rates rise each April, or if new elements are added for children or disability. The top-up reduces gradually until your UC alone reaches the same amount as your old benefits.

Transitional protection ends if you have significant changes in circumstances. Common changes that can reduce or end it include:

• Forming or ending a couple (for example, moving in with a partner or separating from a partner, including other civil partners)

• Moving home with significantly different rent or housing costs

• Having a first child or no longer being responsible for a child

• No longer being assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity

• Savings remaining above the capital threshold after the 12-month disregard period

New childcare costs you claim under universal credit do not usually reduce the transitional element. This can benefit families who start paying for childcare after migrating.

You must claim universal credit by the deadline to receive transitional protection. If you miss both the deadline and the final deadline, you lose it permanently for that migration.

How to claim Universal Credit under managed migration

Most people will be expected to make their universal credit claim online via the official GOV.UK claim service (or the equivalent Northern Ireland service), using the information in their migration notice letter. Claimants must create an online account to apply for universal credit.

Here are the high-level steps:

1. Go to the official universal credit online service and create your universal credit online account

2. If you live with a partner as a couple (married, in a civil partnership, or cohabiting), you'll need to make a joint claim. Each partner creates their own online account, linked by a partner code generated from the first account

3. Complete the digital claim form with your details, income, housing, and health information

4. Submit your claim before your migration deadline

If you cannot use the internet or need extra help, you can call the universal credit helpline or the universal credit migration notice helpline and ask for a telephone claim. Services like Citizens Advice "Help to Claim" can also support you through the process. British sign language video relay and interpreter services are available for deaf claimants and people whose first language is not English.

For couples who live apart due to temporary separation, where one partner is away for work, or where one partner is in prison, separate single universal credit claims may be required. Check your migration notice or call the universal credit team for guidance on your situation.

Once either partner submits a universal credit claim, the legacy benefits being replaced (such as tax credits, housing benefit, and income-related ESA) will start to end, usually with a short run-on period for some benefits.

What you need ready before you start your Universal Credit claim

Having the right information ready can make your claim quicker and reduce the risk of delays or losing transitional protection.

Here's what most claimants will need:

• A bank account, building society or credit union account for receiving your UC payment

• An email address and mobile phone number

• Your home address and postcode, plus your landlord's name and address if you pay rent

• Your tenancy agreement or rent details

For verifying your identity online, have these documents ready:

• Driving licence, passport, or other photo ID

• A bank card, payslip, or P60

• If online identity verification fails, you may need to attend a Jobcentre or local office appointment in person

You should also have information about:

• Your existing means tested benefits, including any employment and support allowance or Jobseeker's Allowance status

• Earnings from work or self employed income

• Savings and investments

• Childcare costs

• Any health conditions or disabilities that limit your ability to work

Keep your migration notice letter to hand. The claim service will link it to your claim after you prove your identity online, helping to ensure transitional protection is applied correctly.

After you claim: payments, timing and managing your UC account

Once your claim is submitted, your first universal credit payment takes about five weeks. Claiming universal credit can take up to five weeks. After that, payments are made monthly into your bank account, building society or credit union account on the same date each month.

Here's how the final payments of your previous benefits are timed:

If you cannot manage until your first universal credit payment, you can request an advance payment through your universal credit online account or by phone. This is a loan that will be recovered through deductions from future UC payments over a set period.

Housing costs will usually be paid as part of your universal credit payment rather than directly to your landlord. You may need to talk to your landlord about this change and ask about alternative payment arrangements if you are worried about rent arrears. You can request that housing costs be paid direct to your landlord through these arrangements.

Regularly sign in to your universal credit online accounts to check your journal, respond to messages from your work coach, upload documents, and report changes. Failure to keep your online account up to date can affect your UC payment and any transitional protection you receive means tested support.

Your responsibilities and changes you must report

Once on universal credit, you must keep your details up to date and follow your "claimant commitment" to avoid overpayments, sanctions, or losing transitional protection.

Changes you must report promptly:

• Changes to earnings or hours at work, starting or leaving a job

• Changes in self employed income

• Moving home or changes in rent

• Changes to bank account details

• Changes in savings or investments

Personal and household changes:

• Moving in with a partner or separating

• Someone moving into or leaving your household, including in the same household arrangements

• Having a baby, children leaving home or starting full-time education

• Changes in caring responsibilities

Health-related changes:

• Developing a new health condition or a condition becoming more serious

• Being discharged from hospital

• Any changes that affect your work capability assessment or limited capability for work status

These should be reported so that work requirements and any limited capability for work assessment can be updated.

Failing to report important changes or deliberately providing wrong information can lead to overpayments being recovered from future universal credit, penalties, or in serious cases, criminal investigation.

Extra financial and practical support while you move to Universal Credit

In addition to your main universal credit claim, you may qualify for extra help, particularly while waiting for your first payment or if you face high essential costs like rent, energy bills, or health costs.

Depending on where you live, short-term support may include:

• Universal credit advances and budgeting advances

• Local welfare schemes run by your council

• Discretionary Housing Payments to help with rent shortfalls

• Support for things like free school meals or school uniform grants

If you receive universal credit, you may also be eligible for help with health costs such as NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, and eye tests, usually through the NHS Low Income Scheme or equivalent schemes in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

If you are struggling with debts, deductions from your universal credit, or budgeting monthly payments, contact free, independent advice organisations such as Citizens Advice or MoneyHelper. They can help you manage your UC payment and negotiate with creditors.

Support arrangements can differ between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Check official government websites for region-specific schemes to make sure you receive means tested support and any other financial support you're entitled to.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have not received a migration notice but think I should have?

If you are still receiving legacy benefits and have not yet received a migration notice, you can contact the DWP (or the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland) to check your position. This ensures you do not miss out or experience an unexpected stop to your payments. Most people still on existing benefits should expect to get a migration notice before the process completes.

Can I move to Universal Credit early before getting a migration notice?

You can usually make a voluntary universal credit claim at any time. However, if you move early, you will not get transitional protection, and your legacy benefits will stop when you claim UC. Before choosing to move early, use a benefits calculator or seek independent advice to compare what you currently receive with what you would receive on universal credit. The difference can be significant, especially if your current benefit paid is higher than standard UC rates.

What if I do not have a bank account for my UC payment?

Having a bank account, building society, or credit union account is the standard way to receive a universal credit payment. If you cannot open one, contact the universal credit helpline to discuss alternative payment arrangements. Staff can also help you open a basic bank account. Some credit unions and high-street banks offer basic accounts with no credit check.

How do I verify my identity if I cannot do it online?

If online identity verification fails, you will usually be asked to attend an appointment at your local Jobcentre or Jobs & Benefits office. Bring identity documents such as a passport, driving licence, or official letters so staff can verify your identity in person. This does not affect your transitional protection as long as you meet your deadline.

Is British Sign Language or interpreting support available for my claim?

British sign language video relay services and telephone interpreting are available to help deaf claimants and people whose first language is not English to make and manage their claim online or by phone. Details of how to access these services are provided on GOV.UK and in migration notice letters. You can also ask a friend, family member, or support worker to help you, though the DWP will need to speak to you directly to confirm key details.