DWP letter to arrive for 1.6 million people in July with three-month warning

Important letters from the DWP will drop through letterboxes of hundreds of thousands of homes during July - with a warning that they must not be ignored. They will impact those who receive Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

Claimants will be told about major changes to their benefits and what they must do to ensure their payments don't stop. People who get ESA are the latest being shifted over to Universal Credit (UC).

This will not happen automatically and ESA claimants will have to apply for UC. They will have three months to do so after which point their benefits will stop being paid.

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To avoid any disruption to their payments, it's important people act within the three-month deadline. The letters - known as Migration Notices - will explain what is happening and set out what people need to do.

Claimants have been assured they shouldn't lose any money as a result of the switch to UC. It continues the long-running process of moving people on 'legacy' benefits over to the new system.

These benefits are being phased out in favour of UC. Around 1.6 million people currently claim ESA.

The DWP said: "You need to move to Universal Credit if you’ve received a Migration Notice letter, as one or more of your benefits will be ending soon. To continue receiving financial support you must claim Universal Credit by the deadline date given in your letter. This is 3 months from the date the letter was sent out."

People are being urged to check their post and ensure Migration Notices are not ignored or thrown away. Claimants don't need to do anything until they have received their Migration Notice.