The UK Government recently said that it “remains committed” to completing the managed migration move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit within the planned timescale. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in November 2022 that people on Employment and Support Allowance alone (ESA) will not be moved from the older IT system to Universal Credit until 2028/29.
However, benefit claimants may not be aware that by the end of 2024/25 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) aims to have completed the moves of all legacy cases with Tax Credits - including those on both ESA and Tax Credits, all cases on Income Support (IS) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and all Housing Benefit (HB) only cases.
In a newly published report reviewing the Discovery Phase of the managed migration process, DWP said the moves in 2024/25 will allow HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to close down the Tax Credit system for those of working age and DWP to close down Income Support and JSA, “generating savings for taxpayers”.
