MAJOR changes to people’s benefits are coming “within weeks” as more than a million Brits will be shifted onto Universal Credit.
Around 1.7million claimants are due to receive their payments differently as ministers press ahead with moving them off old-style benefits.
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The Government’s gradual transfer of claimants from traditional benefits to Universal Credit was paused during the pandemic.
But the “managed migration” to the new UC system will restart shortly – bringing changes for loads of Brits on benefits.
Universal Credit is a monthly payment that streamlines old-style benefits like child tax credits and income support into one package.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will resume the shift first with a small number of Tax Credit claimants up to a cap of 10,000 households, according to the Mirror.
They will then remove that cap and start shunting the remaining disability and other benefit claimants onto UC.
The aim is to have everyone on the new UC system by the end of 2024.
Downing Street insists Universal Credit is more generous than old-style benefits.
The six-week wait has been cut to five while the amount given to debt repayments was cut.
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The DWP said in November it was “determined” to swap people onto Universal Credit by December 2024.
The Department’s Permanent Secretary Peter Schofield told MPs: “We got the funding in the spending review to finish this on time.”
Neil Couling, the director general behind Universal Credit, said the move would be a “slow, slow, slow experience” as bureaucrats being processing in “small volumes”.
A DWP spokesperson said: “Universal Credit is a modern dynamic benefit which supports people in and out of work.
“We have always been clear about our ambition to move people over from the legacy systems, which are complex, inefficient and based on aging, inflexible IT.
“The Department will continue its regular engagement with the committee and our ambition remains to see the rollout of Universal Credit delivered safely and on time by 2024.”
