The deadline for people to move from tax credits to Universal Credit has passed
Six legacy benefits are being incorporated into the Universal Credit system as part of the DWP migration. Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits officially ceased on April 5 as part of this transition.
The deadline for people receiving Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits to secure transitional protection has also passed. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean your benefits have to be completely cut off.
As part of the migration process, everyone receiving Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits should have received a migration letter from the DWP. This letter outlined their next steps to transition to Universal Credit and their own personal deadline to complete these steps in order to secure transitional protection.
Transitional protection guaranteed people moving between benefits that they wouldn’t lose money even if they didn’t meet specific requirements for Universal Credit or if they would be eligible less on the new system.
For instance, if an worker was claiming £800 a month through Tax Credits, but would only be eligible for £600 a month on Universal Credit, they would be granted £200 of transitional protection to receive a total of £800 per month on Universal Credit. This ensures the migration doesn’t leave any claimants financially worse off.
If you missed your transitional protection deadline or didn’t act on the migration letter at all, your legacy benefits will cease. But you can still claim Universal Credit.
You must fulfil all the requirements for Universal Credit and apply through the standard claim process. It’s worth noting that you won’t receive transitional protection, so your Universal Credit may be less than your previous legacy benefit.
If you’re unable to meet the deadline specified in your migration notice for a valid reason, you can reach out to the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline. They might be able to extend your claim period, but typically, this needs to be requested before the deadline.
The helpline operates from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on 0800 169 0328. If you’re currently receiving legacy benefits, it’s crucial to remember that you only need to take action if you get a migration notice instructing you to claim Universal Credit or if your circumstances alter.
Tax Credits are the first benefits to officially cease under the migration. The following benefits are also set to end soon:.
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit, unless you’re in supported or temporary accommodation