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Understanding Universal Credit
Universal Credit is replacing 6 benefits called ‘legacy benefits’.
These are:
- Working age Housing Benefit
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Child Tax Credits
- Working Tax Credits
- Income Support
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is writing to people who receive these benefits to let them know that they need to claim Universal Credit instead. This letter is called a Migration Notice and explains what you need to do and when. Please be aware if you’re thinking of moving to Universal Credit, before you’ve received your Migration Notice, you might be worse off financially. We’d recommend that you seek advice from Citizen Advice Help to Claim Service.
Once you’ve received your Universal Credit Migration Notice letter, you’ll need to make a claim for Universal Credit by the deadline stated in your letter to continue to get financial support.
You can also use our UC helper tool which helps you to understand each step for making your claim.
For more information visit our Universal Credit page.