CLAIMANTS of Universal Credit risk their payments being STOPPED if they miss a crucial deadline.
A new drive to get more people on the benefit means you’ll be told when you need to claim Universal Credit by – but you’ll only have months to do so.
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More than a million Brits are set to be shifted onto the support scheme in the next two years through a process called “mandatory migration.”
It was kicked-started yesterday as the government reinstated the programme after a short hiatus over the pandemic.
But the new driving force of the mass move means all claimants will take up Universal Credit by 2024.
It’ll happen automatically by that date, unless you have a change of circumstance that means you’re moved over a little quicker – that could be because of a house move, or having a baby, for example.
Or you can choose to move, yourself – but you have to check if you’d actually be better off.
When it comes to your natural turn though, you’ll be notified of when you will be asked to claim Universal Credit instead of the legacy benefits you may already receive.
You’ll get a Migration Notice letter sent to you in the post.
But the DWP has said you will have just three months to claim the benefit from the date of receiving that letter, or face missing out on payments altogether.
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In an update posted yesterday the DWP said: “This letter will inform you that your existing benefits or tax credits will be ending, and the date you must claim Universal Credit by.”
The initial push will affect around 500 people though, so you might not get your letter just yet.
And with different claimants being urged to make the move over at different times over the next two years, not everyone will be slapped with the same deadline date.
Eventually Universal Credit will totally replace six benefits for anyone under the old welfare system. They are:
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Support
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
It’s estimated that 1.4million will be better off on more modern benefit.
But a further 300,000 will see no change to how much they get, while around 900,000 are thought to be worse off under Universal Credit.
A benefits checker can help you understand if you’ll be better off or not, and whether you should make the leap yourself, or wait to be forced over.
Using an online calculator can help you compare.
You can find free and easy to use examples of the tools from charities such as Turn2Us and EntitledTo – and it’s also worth asking the bodies for advice about your move over too.
Once you move over, you won’t be able to go back to legacy benefits so it is important to weigh up.
Around £4billion in total of Universal Credit is going unclaimed though, working out as £220 each month.
But anyone already on the benefit, on the other hand, has to watch out for a change in their payment dates next month as a major British event is disrupting when they’ll land in accounts.
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