THREE major Department for Work and Pensions benefits are being scrapped for good.
In a fresh update from the department, claimants have been reminded that all tax credit claims will be scrapped by April 2025.
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From April 5 next year, households will no longer be able to renew their tax credit claims.
It means that households on tax credits and housing benefit, income-based ESA with child tax credits and tax credits only must switch to Universal Credit before this date.
Households claiming these legacy benefits are now being asked to move to Universal Credit.
Refuse to do so and you could miss out on £1,000s worth of cash to help with essential bills and the general cost of living.
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It comes under the government’s plans to move all claimants on legacy benefits to Universal Credit (UC) or pension credit by the end of 2025, under a process known as managed migration.
This is because Universal Credit was set up to replace legacy benefits.
The managed migration process began in May last year after a successful pilot in July 2019.
Eligible households are being contacted via letters in the post which tell them how to make the move from tax credits to Universal Credit.
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Once you receive a letter, you have three months to move over, or you could lose your current benefits.
Thousands of households receiving tax credits-only have already received these notices.
The DWP has now started sending letters to those claiming tax credits with housing benefit.
Anyone getting employment and support allowance (ESA) along with child tax credits will start being asked to switch from July.
Three more legacy benefits will also be scrapped by April 5, 2025:
- Income support
- Housing benefit
- Income-based JSA
It means that between May 2023 and September 2024, the DWP expects to send managed migration letters to 940,000 claimants.
Those claiming employment and support allowance only will also be asked to claim Universal Credit, but this benefit won’t be scrapped entirely until the end of 2025.
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A WORD OF WARNING
It’s vital that households apply for Universal Credit within three months of receiving their managed migration letter.
Failing to do this might result in benefits being stopped.
In total, 31,460 households lost their benefits after failing to act upon a migration notice received between November 2022 and September 2023, according to the DWP.
Based on government figures provided to anti-poverty charity Z2K, a typical household lost out on roughly £4,130 a year.
This equates to £129.4million in benefits being stopped simply because claimants didn’t make the switch.
What is managed migration?
UNIVERSAL Credit is replacing six benefits under the old welfare system, commonly called legacy benefits. They are:
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s allowance
- Income support
- income-related employment and support allowance
- Housing Benefit.
If you’re on any of these benefits now, you can choose to move over – but you might not be better off.
You should consider carefully what moving over means for your money, as you can’t move back once you’re on Universal Credit.
Using an online benefits calculator can help you compare and are free and easy to use from charities such as Turn2Us and EntitledTo, and it’s also worth asking them for advice.
You may be moved over to Universal Credit if you have a change in circumstances, like moving home, a change in working hours or a have a baby.
But eventually everyone will be moved over to Universal Credit.
This is known as “managed migration” .
HELP CLAIMING UNIVERSAL CREDIT
As well as benefit calculators, anyone moving from tax credits to Universal Credit can find help in a number of ways.
You can visit your local Jobcentre by searching at find-your-nearest-jobcentre.dwp.gov.uk/.
There’s also a free service called Help to Claim from Citizen’s Advice:
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- England: 0800 144 8 444
- Scotland: 0800 023 2581
- Wales: 08000 241 220
You can also get help online from advisers at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/help-to-claim/.
Will I be better off on Universal Credit?
Around 1.4million will be better off on Universal Credit, the government calculates.
A further 300,000 will see no change in payments, while around 900,000 will be worse off under Universal Credit.
Of these, around 600,000 are expected to get top-up payments if they move under managed migration, so they don’t lose out on cash immediately.
The majority of those – around 400,000 – are claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
Around 100,000 are on tax credits while fewer than 50,000 each on other legacy benefits are expected to be affected.
Examples of those who may be entitled to less on Universal Credit according to the government include:
- Households getting ESA who and the Severe Disability Premium and Enhanced Disability Premium
- Households with the lower disabled child addition on legacy benefits
- Self-employed households who are subject to the Minimum Income Floor after the 12 month grace period has ended
- In-work households that worked a specific number of hours (eg lone
- parent working 16 hours claiming Working Tax Credits
- Households receiving tax credits with savings of more than £6,000 (and up to £16,000)
- But they could miss out on any future increase to benefits and see payments frozen.
Those who move voluntarily and are worse off won’t get these top-up payments and could lose cash.
Those who miss the deadline and later make a claim may also not get this transitional protection either.
The clock starts ticking on the three-month countdown from the date of the first letter, and reminders are sent via post and text message.
There is a one-month grace period after this, during which any claim to Universal Credit is backdated and transitional protection can still be awarded.
The most recent data from the DWP shows 61,130 individuals have made a claim for UC, and 39,920 awarded transitional protection.
Another 40,540 are still in the process of moving to the new benefit.
