DWP warning as some Brits may need to ‘take action before Christmas’ to avoid stopping benefits

Person using their laptop to check their benefit entitlement
-Credit: (Image: GETTY)


The DWP has issued a warning to people receiving legacy benefits as the migration to Universal Credit continues, potentially threatening the income of some households around the upcoming festive period.

The Government advised, according to Birmingham Live: “Move to Universal Credit if you get a migration notice letter. As one or more of your benefits will be ending soon, you need to move to Universal Credit (UC).

“To continue receiving financial support you must claim Universal Credit by the deadline date given in your letter. This is three months from the date the letter was sent out."

Legacy benefits include Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and income-related Employment Support Allowance. People on this last benefit, particularly those that are also claiming PIP, may need to put some extra thought into their migration to UC.

The move to UC won’t happen automatically for any legacy benefit claimants and they’ll need to apply for the new benefit. Their migration notices, which are being sent out during September, will highlight how to do this and their deadline.

Claimants have three months from when their letter was sent to apply for UC. Meaning anyone who receives their letter this month could be facing a disruption to their payments in December when their legacy benefits will be automatically stopped.

Moneyhelper urged people not to ignore their migration notices and “act quickly”. They noted: “We also strongly recommend you get advice from a benefits specialist before you move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit,” this includes the free service through Citizen’s Advice.

Additionally, applicants should also note that UC is paid in arrears monthly, meaning they’ll have to wait one full assessment period for their first payment, which is one calendar month. If you struggle to make ends meet due to this delay you can apply for an advance payment to help but this will need to be repaid within 24 months.