The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an urgent warning to people claiming at least one of certain older benefits, including Child Tax Credit and Income Support. Everyone receiving these legacy benefits will be moved to Universal Credit (UC) before December 2024, the UK government has said, and it starts with a migration notice letter.
Anyone who has received a migration notice letter will need to apply for UC within three months of receiving the letter, the DWP has warned. There is no need to switch until this letter is received, but once you have it you'll need to act to continue getting financial help.
Plans to move every benefit claimant to Universal Credit were resumed last year, post-Covid, with the DWP announcing all legacy benefit claimants would be switched to UC by the end of 2024. The process was paused during the pandemic while the DWP processed the sure in new UC claimants, the DWP said.
