Martin Lewis warns people on Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, ESA 'you could lose your benefits'
Martin Lewis has issued a warning for people on three Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits. The alert from the Money Saving Expert has landed in inboxes on Wednesday as the BBC Sounds star shared his latest newsletter.
ITV star Martin explained: "Warning: On Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, ESA or similar? Don't ignore crucial letter - you could lose your benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is sending letters to many people saying you MUST now apply to switch to Universal Credit.
"DON'T ignore it - tragically, DWP stats show a third have had benefits cut off after not applying. Full help in our Benefits switch-over guide." MSE warned the transition to Universal Credit is not automatic. Claimants must actively apply for Universal Credit to continue receiving financial support.
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The specific benefits affected by this transition include Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
These legacy benefits are gradually being replaced by Universal Credit. The process began in March 2023 and is set to continue throughout 2024. You can put in your claim online, or over the phone by calling the Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline on 0800 169 0328, or you can also ask your local Job Centre for help with your application.
Once you have made your claim, you will have to wait five weeks until your first Universal Credit payment and you will continue to receive it going forward - unless your circumstances change According to the DWP's latest figures, 284,660 individuals lost their benefits after failing to act on migration notices received between July 2022 and June 2024.
And the data from earlier this year showed 623,310 individuals have successfully claimed Universal Credit, with another 232,830 still in the process of transitioning.