Benefit claimants issued a warning after 184,000 payments were stopped

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that more than 180,000 benefit payments have been stopped. It comes after a deadline has passed.

Those previously claiming one of the six benefits have been urged by the government department to switch to Universal Credit as part of a migration campaign. A notice would have already been sent to many benefit claimants telling them they had to change.

The DWP said it had sent more than 800,000 migration notices since March 2024. However, 184,120 claimants failed to make the switch between July 2022 and March 2024, resulting in lost benefit payments.

Who will receive a migration notification

The only people who will receive migration notices from the DWP are those who claim the following legacy benefits, which are being replaced by Universal Credit:

• Work Tax Credit
• Child tax credit
• Housing benefit
• Income support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

The DWP has pointed out that people will have three months to switch to Universal Credit from the date they are sent a migration notification letter.

How to claim Universal Credit if you need it

If you’re told you need to claim Universal Credit through a migration notice, you’ll need to create an account first. With this account, a claim will need to be completed within 28 days of its creation – otherwise you will have to start the process all over again.

If you live with a partner

The DWP has pointed out that both partners will need to make a claim if they live in the same household and meet one of the following:

• marry each other
• civil partners of each other
• living together as if you were married

Both partners will also need to set up their own Universal Credit account, one that receives a partner code. The other partner can then use the code to create their own account, joining the claim together.

Before creating an online account, you will need to have the following documents ready:

• your bank, building society or credit union account details
• an email address
• access to a phone
• driver’s license
• passport
• debit or credit card
• payslip or P60

You will also need information about:

• your home, for example how much rent you pay
• your income, for example payslips
• any disability or health condition that affects your work
• how much you pay for childcare if you want help with childcare costs
• your savings and any investments such as shares or a property you rent