DWP warning as thousands could see their benefits stopped just before Christmas

The DWP has been sending out thousands of letters to benefit claimants

As the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) continues its "Managed Migration" strategy, thousands on benefits could face a payment halt before Christmas unless they take prompt action. This campaign is shifting recipients from older "legacy" benefits to Universal Credit, a transition that started in 2019 with an expected completion by 2025.

The switch impacts several benefits, including Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, and Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance. As part of the process, claimants are being given "migration notices" via mail.

Following receipt of these notices, there is a three-month window to lodge a Universal Credit claim or risk benefit discontinuation. Recent numbers indicate over 284,660 people have had their legacy benefits ceased after not transitioning to Universal Credit by the deadline.

In the most recent phase, this September saw the dispatch of migration notices to 800,000 households previously receiving Employment Support Allowance (ESA). State pensioners on Tax Credits, Income-based JSA, and ESA along with Housing Benefit claimants began receiving letters in September.

Therefore, if you received a migration notice in September or early October, it's crucial to take action as you could risk losing your benefits around the festive period, reports the Mirror. Your migration notice will detail how to make a claim and the exact deadline date.

After making your claim, there's a five-week wait until your first Universal Credit payment, which will continue unless your circumstances change. In 2022, 2.6 million people in the UK were still claiming old-style legacy benefits, and between July of that year and June 2024, a total of 1.1 million people received migration notices. Earlier this week, the DWP issued a warning as the Tax Credit benefit will cease in April 2025.

This means those claiming the HMRC benefit will need to apply for Universal Credit within the next six months. The DWP cautioned that three months might "feel like a long time", but life can get in the way and claimants could find themselves in a difficult situation.

As such, the DWP has urged claimants to act "straight away". A DWP spokesperson, discussing the managed migration process, said: "We are committed to ensuring all customers receive the support they need from our staff and services. The department has a wide range of support available to all individuals, particularly those who are vulnerable."