Benefit claimants will be moved over to Universal Credit by the end of 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced. Claimants are gradually being notified of these changes and will have their benefit entitlement of Universal Credit assessed against current claims.
However, there are top up payments available for eligible claimants whose entitlement would have been reduced because of the change – ensuring they receive the same entitlement as on a legacy system, reports Somerset Live. These will continue unless their circumstances alter.
The reason for the change and the six benefits being replaced is that all have complex and inefficient systems based on ageing, inflexible IT. Universal Credit uses a modern, digital system that stood up to the test of Covid-19, where it quickly ensured three million new claimants were protected from the financial impact of the pandemic.
