DWP to scrap six benefits by the end of 2024 - what you need to know

Jon Macpherson & Ryan O'Neill
·3-min read
By the end of 2024, the vast majority of certain support claimants will have been moved onto Universal Credit
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Several Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits will be phased out this year for millions of individuals.

The department is moving forward with plans to transition those on older benefits to Universal Credit (UC). The process, known as managed migration, has been gradually implemented in parts of the UK but was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It resumed in 2023, and by the end of 2024, the vast majority of certain support claimants will have been moved onto UC, with the rest to follow. Here's everything you need to know about this shift and how it may affect you.

READ MORE: DWP 14-day warning over when £25 Cold Weather Payments will arrive

Who will be transitioned to Universal Credit and when will this occur?

Those receiving the following benefits will be moved to UC as part of managed migration: New claims for these benefits can no longer be made, with most people required to apply for UC instead. Households in specific areas of the UK have already been transitioned to the new benefits system, including targeted areas in south west and south east Wales in September and October 2023, WalesOnline reports.

The DWP has disclosed that households are being sent letters instructing them to submit a UC claim within three months. To receive your funds, you will need to confirm your identity and accept these changes at your local Jobcentre.

If an individual fails to lodge a UC claim during the transition period, their existing benefits will end. Once a UC claim is submitted, all previous benefits are terminated and there's an expected five-week wait for the first UC payment.

To help with the shift from old benefits to UC, some former payments might temporarily continue, however, tax credits will cease immediately upon claiming UC. .

By the close of the 2024/25 financial year, the majority should have transitioned to UC with the exception of those solely on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or ESA alongside another legacy benefit, barring tax credits. These cases are scheduled for managed migration in 2028.

While some claimants will experience a financial boost with UC, others may face a reduction in funds. To address this, the DWP plans to give top-up payments to those eligible who observe a dip in their income due to the switch.

According to DWP instructions: "On Universal Credit, most people will be entitled to the same amount they received from their previous benefits or more. If the amount you are entitled to on your existing benefits is more than you will get on Universal Credit, a top-up is available. This is called transitional protection."

"You can only get this top-up if you have received a migration notice letter from DWP and claim by the deadline date on your letter. If your circumstances change before you make your claim, this may affect the amount you get."

"You should claim as soon as possible to make sure the amount you are currently entitled to can be protected. Any transitional protection you receive as part of your Universal Credit claim may stop if you have a change in circumstances once you've made your claim."

Subscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox

Latest stories

  • Worthless family businesses could face £1m inheritance tax bills

    Grieving relatives could be forced to pay six-figure inheritance tax bills on worthless family businesses due to changes announced in the Budget.

  • Bank of England: Andrew Bailey names ‘biggest issue’ after Budget tax hikes

    "How companies balance the mixture of prices, wages, the level of employment, what is taken on margin, is an important judgement for us," he said.

  • Down 54%, here’s one of my favourite FTSE 100 bargain shares for 2025!

    The FTSE 100 remains packed with value shares despite its strong showing this year. Here's one fallen angel I think demands serious attention. The post Down 54%, here’s one of my favourite FTSE 100 bargain shares for 2025! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

  • Half of firms to slash jobs and raise prices after Budget

    More than half of British businesses expect to put up prices and cut jobs to cope with the costs of Rachel Reeves’s National Insurance raid.

  • Up 40%! Is it too late for me to grab some shares of this skyrocketing FTSE 100 giant?

    With the share price soaring, our writer’s kicking himself for not buying this FTSE 100 share when he reported on it a month ago. Is he too late? The post Up 40%! Is it too late for me to grab some shares of this skyrocketing FTSE 100 giant? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

  • Income tax will be frozen until 2026, Finance Secretary promises

    Shona Robison said more people will also be pulled into paying lower rates of tax as thresholds increase by around double the rate of inflation.

  • 1 stock I’m avoiding like the plague in today’s market!

    Our writer highlights one former stock market darling from the tech sector that he's currently in no rush to add to his portfolio. The post 1 stock I’m avoiding like the plague in today’s market! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

  • 2 top FTSE 100 stocks surging to record highs (hint — not Rolls-Royce)!

    Ben McPoland takes a closer look at a pair of high-performing FTSE 100 stocks that continue to enrich long-term shareholders. The post 2 top FTSE 100 stocks surging to record highs (hint — not Rolls-Royce)! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

  • French-German spread narrows on budget optimism, German bunds weaken

    (Reuters) -The risk premium investors demand to hold French debt rather than German bunds dropped on Thursday on optimism that France will be able to pass a budget, while German bunds fell on reports Europe plans to tap bond markets for a defence fund. Far-right and left-wing lawmakers in France joined forces this week to back a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Analysts fear the lack of a stable government and a budget for 2025 could lead to a deterioration of France's sovereign creditworthiness and slower economic growth.

  • I love my Legal & General shares even more after today’s exciting update

    Harvey Jones had high hopes for Legal & General shares when he bought them last year. So far he's got bags of income but little growth. Will that change after today's news? The post I love my Legal & General shares even more after today’s exciting update appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

  • 2 FTSE 100 shares with strong growth prospects for 2025

    Sometimes the best growth prospects aren’t in the most obvious stocks. Stephen Wright looks at two FTSE 100 firms he thinks can do well in 2025. The post 2 FTSE 100 shares with strong growth prospects for 2025 appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

  • Legal & General shares rise 4% on capital return plan

    Legal & General shares rose 4% on Wednesday after the British life insurer said it was planning to return capital to shareholders and was on track to meet its financial targets. Legal & General anticipates returning a proportion of capital from its institutional retirement business to shareholders, it said in a trading statement ahead of an investor presentation for the unit. This capital return would form part of the board's wider consideration of its capacity for buybacks, which would be set out at its full-year results in March 2025, the insurer said.

  • UnitedHealthcare CEO gunned down in Manhattan sold company stocks just before DOJ probe made public

    Thompson was gunned down in Manhattan as he walked down the street on Wednesday, shortly before a day of investor meetings was to take place

  • Half of pensioners expect to be worse off under Labour next year

    Half of all pensioners think they will be worse off financially next year under Labour, a new poll has revealed.

  • UK supermarket Asda raises $196 million to help pay down debt

    Struggling British supermarket group Asda has raised an additional loan of 155 million pounds ($196 million) to help it pay back debt due in the next two years, it said on Wednesday. Asda, Britain's third largest grocer, said the loan, alongside a similar amount of cash from its balance sheet, will address 310 million pounds of debt due to mature in 2025 and 2026. The move, following on from a 3.2 billion pound refinancing in May, pushes out all of Asda's near-term debt maturities into the next decade, giving management breathing space to engineer a recovery.

  • Intense interest as farmers, experts analyse tax changes

    Farmers and farm family members attending Fermanagh Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) meeting this week, ‘Protecting Your Farm Post-Budget – The Facts’, were left in no doubt about the implications of the recent proposed reforms of Agricultural Property Relief and Inheritance Tax. The meeting in the Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen on Monday night, that was attended by up to 150 people, examined in more detail the issues of farm taxation, legal affairs such as wills and succession, as well as investment

  • Russia's sky-high interest rates will struggle to fight inflation in the sanctions-stricken economy, top Russian bank CEO says

    Russia's key interest rate was raised to 21% in October, but that might not be an effective tool in fighting inflation, a top bank chief said.

  • 3 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership And Earnings Growth Up To 83%

    As global markets continue to reach new highs, with major indices like the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 Index setting record intraday levels, investor sentiment is buoyed by domestic policy developments and geopolitical events. Amid this backdrop of market optimism, identifying growth companies with high insider ownership can offer potential opportunities for investors seeking alignment of interests between company insiders and shareholders.

  • FTSE 100 Live 05 December: Vodafone-Three deal cleared, Frasers slides and Bitcoin tops $100k

    Bitcoin has topped $100,000 for the first time after Donald Trump picked a crypto advocate to run the Wall Street regulator. In the UK, the £15 billion merger of Vodafone and Three is to go ahead on the condition they roll out a massive 5G network investment programme. Meanwhile, Sports Direct owner Frasers Group has scaled back profit guidance due to tougher trading conditions.

  • Car finance crisis ‘bleeding’ across UK economy, warns Lloyds

    The fallout from the car finance crisis is damaging Britain’s economy, the head of the country’s largest bank said.