Families living in County Durham who claim Tax Credits are among those who will start to be moved over to Universal Credit this month, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced.
Earlier this year, the DWP said it would be stepping up so-called Migration Notices, which give legacy benefits claimants notice that they will be switched to Universal Credit, with the two million people nationwide thought to be claiming Working and/or Child Tax Credit first on the list.
Those who fail to act when they receive a Migration Notice risk losing their current benefit entitlements, after the DWP resumed its plans last year to move all claimants currently receiving legacy benefits over to Universal Credit by the end of 2024 following a pause during the pandemic. Families living in Durham and Tees Valley will start to receive notices this month, along with Kent, North London and West Yorkshire. Households in Greater Manchester and North East Yorkshire and the Humber were moved in June. It is not known when other areas of the region will be switched.
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The migration to Universal Credit follows a 'discovery phase' when certain areas were chosen to pilot the benefits switch. Some claimants living in Northumberland were among the first to be moved from legacy benefits to Universal Credit last year, with people living in the county who were paid Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support and Housing Benefit being required to move to Universal Credit to retain their financial support. The DWP has confirmed that the initial focus after the discovery phase will be on Tax Credit claimants, although the aim is that all legacy benefits claimants will be moved to Universal Credit by the end of 2024.
The DWP spokesperson said: "By migrating to Universal Credit, with the support of the Department for Work and Pensions, claimants will continue to receive the benefit they are entitled to through a future-proofed modern benefits system. Affected claimants will continue to receive the benefit they are entitled to through a more dynamic system that better reflects individual needs each month.
"Universal Credit provides a vital safety net for millions of people every year, enabling them to support themselves and their families through an agile digital system, and to access their benefits more easily as well as amend their claim should there be a change in their circumstances.
"In most cases, individuals will be better off following a move from legacy benefits to UC. However, where an individual’s entitlement to Universal Credit would be lower than their legacy benefits entitlement, in the vast majority of cases, they will be entitled to a top-up payment known as Transitional Protection. This means that their Universal Credit entitlement will be the same as their legacy benefit entitlement at the point they move."
If you want to move to Universal Credit before you receive your Migration Notice, you can claim directly online or via the dedicated Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline on 0800 169 0328 or by visiting your local jobcentre. If you require more time to claim you can call the DWP free on 0800 169 0328.
For claimants requiring additional support to complete their application support is available including through Citizens Advice Help to Claim, which delivers step by step support to complete a UC claim.
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The DWP has produced a guide for those who have received their Migration Notice here.
Universal Credit was introduced in 2013 to end the complex web of six legacy benefits and was fully rolled out for all new claims in December 2018. It was introduced to replace a range of different benefits for unemployed and low-paid people and the aim was to make the system simpler. More than 5.8 million people claim in the UK, and of those people, around 40% of claimants have jobs.
