What is a migration notice?
From February 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will begin sending out migration notices to people on legacy benefits. This includes:
- Housing Benefit
- Tax Credits (both Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit)
- Income Support (IS)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- It's an invitation to switch over to Universal Credit (UC).
It may sound daunting, but it's just a way of making benefits easier to understand by keeping it under the same system. This is called 'Managed Migration'.
What will happen?
- You'll receive a letter from the DWP inviting you to make a claim for UC.
- It'll have a 3 month deadline date that you'll need to make your UC claim by.
- If you have a joint tax credit claim with your partner, you will each receive a migration notice and both must apply for Universal Credit.
It's important to make your claim for UC as your tax credits will end the day before the deadline.
Who can help me?
We're always here to help you during this change. To speak to one of our team, you can contact us here
Alternatively, the UC Migration Notice Helpline can be called on 0800 169 0328.
