Benefits Advice

You can’t usually make a new claim for these benefits. If you already receive one of them, you’ll have to move onto Universal Credit in the future. However, you can stay on them for now – unless:

• You get a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) telling you to claim Universal Credit by a certain date
• Your situation changes in certain ways – for example, you might need to claim Universal Credit if you’ve separated from a partner or moved to a different council area.

You can still move to Universal Credit if you don’t get a letter – but it’s important to check if you’ll be better off.

If you apply for Universal Credit:

• any other legacy benefits you’re getting will end
• you won’t be able to go back to any of the legacy benefits in the future – even if you’re appealing a benefit decision

What is it and why is it important to wait until the DWP send you a letter – asking you to move on to Universal Credit?

‘Transitional protection’ means that if you get less money on Universal Credit than your old benefits, you’ll get an extra amount to make up the difference. The DWP will reduce the extra amount over time – so you’ll eventually just get what you normally would on Universal Credit.

You might be able to get Universal Credit when you wouldn’t usually be entitled to it. If you:

• are a full-time student who wouldn’t usually get Universal Credit, you can usually get it until the end of your course
• get tax credits and have over £16,000 in savings, you can get Universal Credit for up to a year

If you apply for Universal Credit before receiving the migration notice letter – you will not receive this transitional protection.

What you have to do depends on what’s in the letter.

If the letter gives a deadline for you to claim Universal Credit, it’s a ‘migration notice’. The deadline should be at least 3 months after the date the notice was sent. If your letter doesn’t have a deadline, you don’t have to claim Universal Credit unless you want to. However, you won’t be able to go back to your old benefits after you claim.

If you’ve received a migration notice

You should claim Universal Credit by the deadline on the letter. Your old benefits will stop after the deadline. If you claim Universal Credit before the deadline, the DWP might pay you extra to stop you being worse off. This is called ‘transitional protection’.

This means that if you’d get less on Universal Credit than your old benefits, you’ll get an extra amount to make up the difference. The DWP will reduce the extra amount over time – so you’ll eventually just get what you normally would on Universal Credit.

If you need help claiming Universal Credit once you receive your Managed Migration letter please contact the Citizens Advice “Help to Claim” team: 08000 241 220 (Monday – Friday 08:00 – 18:00.) You can also chat to a “Help to Claim” adviser online here:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/helptoclaim/

If the deadline hasn’t passed yet, you can ask the DWP to extend it. You can only ask for this before the original deadline in the letter. If the DWP agrees, they’ll send you a new deadline.

If the deadline has passed, you can still get transitional protection if you claim Universal Credit up to a month after the deadline. The end of the month is called the ‘final deadline’.

If you claim after the final deadline, you can still claim Universal Credit – but you can’t get the transitional protection.

If you claim Universal Credit, you’ll usually get one payment each month and you usually have to manage your claim online.

It will usually take 5 weeks to get your first Universal Credit payment – but it could take longer.

If your old benefits haven’t ended, you can keep getting them for 2 weeks after you apply for Universal Credit. You won’t need to pay back the extra payments and they won’t affect how much Universal Credit you’ll get. This applies to

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Housing Benefit

You’ll only get the extra 2-week payments if you’re still eligible for the benefit. You won’t need to pay back the extra payments and they won’t affect how much Universal Credit you’ll get.

For more information about this process – take a look at the information on the Citizens Advice website here:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/benefits/universal-credit/before-you-apply/moving-to-universal-credit-from-other-benefits/

When the time comes to claim Universal Credit, please keep a note of the ‘Help to Claim’ helpline ready: 08000 241 220 as they are the specialist team to help you make your initial claim. They are available to take your call Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00.

As part of the initial ‘Universal Credit’ claim process, you’ll also be asked by the Citizens Advice “Help to Claim” team for some information – in order to help you make the initial claim. There’s a list of information to prepare ready here: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-to-claim

As part of the claiming process, the DWP will also ask you to verify your claim and you can find information about this process and what you’ll need here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-verify-your-identity-for-universal-credit

If you normally receive Housing Benefit and your rent is paid directly to your landlord, this arrangement will end when you claim ‘Universal Credit’. However, if you have rent arrears or there are reasons why you will struggle to pay your rent, you may be able to ask the DWP for an ‘alternative payment arrangement’ to continue having your rent paid directly to your landlord. When you claim Universal Credit, you will be asked to agree to a ‘claimant commitment’ which sets out the requirements from the DWP for you to continue to claim Universal Credit.

If you are unfit for work, are a carer or have young children, it’s important you let your Universal Credit work coach know.