Frequently asked questions

Here you'll find the answer to a number of managed migration related questions.

I have not received my migration notice or worried I may have missed it?

If you call the managed migration helpline, they can check the system and tell you whether a notice has been issued yet. Make sure you ask them for the deadline date. They can answer any other questions you have.
You can call the managed migration helpline on 0800 169 0328.

I have received my migration notice but need more time to claim?

It is possible to ask for an extension on your deadline. You need to explain your circumstances and the UC agent will decide whether an extension can be granted. Extensions are usually granted for four weeks at a time, but it can be possible to have multiple extensions.
You can call the managed migration helpline on 0800 169 0328.

I have received a migration notice but think I should be excluded from the process?

DWP have said some people won't be able to take part in managed migration due to personal circumstances. This could be due to:

they would not meet the normal eligibility conditions for Universal Credit
it would be unreasonable to expect them to make a claim at this time
their circumstances temporarily mean that DWP cannot safely move them across from their legacy benefits

Some of these people will be identified before the migration notice is issue, but for some other peopl, that decision will not be made until they receive the migration notice and call the migration helpline to discuss their situation.
You can call the managed migration helpline on 0800 169 0328.

What are the implications of not claiming UC by my deadline day?

Your existing benefits will end. Your tax credits will end the day before your deadline date. Any IR-ESA, IB-JSA, Income Support or housing benefit you claim will end 2 weeks after your deadline date. If you have not claimed UC by one month after your deadline date (final deadline), you will be without transitional protection.

I am an appointee (or POA) for someone who has received a managed migration notice. Should I be making the claim?

As the person has an appointee (or POA), it has already been decided that they cannot manage a benefit claim. You are the appointed person for making and managing their benefit claim so it should be you that is responsible for it all.
The managed migration process is unable to identify people who have an appointee (or POA). Due to this, if you call the managed migration helpline and explain the situation, they could defer the notice until a process is designed to include appointees.

Do I have to make the application? HMRC and DWP hold all my information already.

You will have to make the claim for UC online or by telephone. You will need to answer all of the questions and agree to the declaration. You will have to agree to commitments of what you will do in return for UC. You will also need to verify your identity and provide evidence of any other information that they require.

Do I have to make the claim online?

The majority of people claim UC online. You set up an online account with username and password using your email address. This is where you complete and submit your claim form. You can verify your ID and upload evidence.
This account is then used on an ongoing basis for you to manage your account, including reporting changes, checking payment breakdown, seeing actions you need to take and messaging UC or your work coach.
If you are not able to claim online, you can submit a telephone claim and UC would contact you if they needed to speak to you, and you would call them if you needed to ask them anything or provide information.
Click to set up UC online account.
You can call UC on 0800 328 5644.

On my existing benefits, I am not expected to look for work. Will UC ask me to look for work?

On UC, everyone has to agree to a claimant commitment and as part of that, UC will consider if you should be asked to look for work, or more work if you are already working, or other work related requirements.
If you fall into one of following categories, you will be placed in the no work group and not be asked to look for work or take part in any work-related requirements:

Caring for a disabled person and will qualify for carers element (this includes people on Carers Allowance)
In receipt of support group on ESA, this will carry over to UC as LCWRA and you will be placed in the no work group
Over state pension age
Studying and have a deduction on your UC due to student income (only applicable during the academic year)
Lead or single parent to a child aged under 1. With a child aged 1, you may be asked to attend work focused interviews a child aged 2, you may be asked to take part in work prep activies.
Pregnant, at least 29 weeks
If you are working and earning more than the minimum expected of someone in your circumstances.

I have Personal Independence Payment (PIP), will UC expect me to look for work?
Having PIP doesn't automatically exclude someone from work. You would need to take part in a work capability assessment for that decision to be made but you should explain your health condition / disability to the work coach and make sure they understand the restrictions that you have.
You can read more about health conditions on UC here.

Although being in receipt of PIP /DLA/AA does not entitle you to work capability element (LCW/LCWRA), unless you are a pensioner, it is always worth letting UC know you have been awarded as may affect your UC in other ways.

It removes the benefit cap.
If you are single and under 35 in private rental you would get the one bedroom rate instead of shared accommodation rate.
If you live with a partner and are unable to share a bedroom due to disability (and rent), it may entitle you to extra bedroom entitlement.
If you have regular, overnight care from someone outside your household (and rent), it may entitle you to extra bedroom entitlement.
If you have a non dependent living with you (and rent), it will remove the non dependent deduction from your housing element.
Someone can claim as carer for you if they provide care for you 35 hours a week. They would need to meet the eligibility and claim this themselves. A partner can claim as carer if they meet the criteria, this may increase your UC.

I have more than £16,000 in capital or savings. Am I excluded from UC?

Under normal rules for UC, if your capital or savings were over £16,000 and could not be disregarded, you would be excluded from UC.
As tax credits does not have a captial limit, if you are part of managed migration, you will be able to claim UC for up to 12 monthly assessment periods.
If your capital or savings remains above £16,000, your UC claim will close at that point.
If your capital or savings reduce to below £16,000, you should report this to UC and your claim would be treated as normal. UC may ask questions about what happened to your capital or savings to consider whether there was deprivation of capital.
You can read more about capital on UC here.

I have received a managed migration notice. Am I definitely entitled to transitional protection?

You will be eligible for transtional protection providing you make a valid claim for UC either before the deadline date, or within one month after.
You will not receive any transitional protection if you were claiming legacy benefits as a single claimant and become joint claim on UC, or were claiming legacy benefits as a joint claim and became single claimant on UC.

Is it true that transitional protection only lasts for 12 months?

The transtional capital disregard only lasts up to 12 monthly assessment periods.
The student exemption protection can last up to you have completed your current course of study.
The transitional element doesn't have a time limit. It erodes over time, as other elements increase.

Can transitional protection end early?

Yes. There are certain circumstances that transitional protection will end early.

If you claim UC as a single claimant and then start living with a partner, resulting in a joint claim.
If you claim UC as a joint claim and then stop living with a partner, resulting in a single claim.
If you are earning above the Admistrative Earnings Threshold (AET) in your first UC assessment period, and your earnings drop below it for three consecutive months.
You can read more information about this here.

Is it true that I will not be worse off because of transitional protection?

When managed migration rules were created, the theory was, no-one should be worse off at the point of claiming UC. If you would be worse off, you should have a transitional element in place to make up the difference.
In practice, due to the differences with UC and how transitional element is assessed, some people are worse off. Examples of some groups of people, who could be worse off, include:

People who were exempt from the benefit cap on legacy benefit as they are in receipt of working tax credits but are not exempt to the benefit cap on UC.
People who are on ESA and doing permitted work.
People who are self-employed and use expenses within their tax credits that would not be considered permitted expenses on UC.
People whose tax credits is being calculated using a lower amount of earnings than what they are currently being paid.
Students who make the claim for UC out with the acamdeic year.

If you are worse off on UC and your transitional element was calculated correctly, definitely keep up with news on managed migration as you may find there is action taking against DWP at a later date.

I may owe money to my tax credits. What will happen to this debt?

When you make the claim for UC, tax credits will take action to finalise your claim. They may ask you to confirm information, similar to the renewal process.
Tax credits will then compare how much entitlement you had for the current year and compare it against what you received from them. Tax credits may also recheck previous years too.
They will write to you notifying you of any overpayment. If you wish to challenge the overpayment, you would do this directly with HMRC.
If you were overpaid, they will pass this information over to DWP who will collect repayment off your ongoing UC payments in line with the allowed limits.
You can read more about deductions on UC.

I may owe money to other legacy benefits or social fund loans. What happens to this debt?

If you owe the money to a DWP benefit or social fund loan, repayments will be taking off your ongoing UC payments in line with the allowed limits. If you wish to challenge any amounts owed, you would do this directly with the department who gave you the money.
If you owe money to housing benefit, they will pass this information over to DWP who will collect repayment off your ongoing UC payments in line with the allowed limits. If you wish to challenge any amounts owed, you would do this directly with housing benefit department.

I am entitled to free prescriptions just now. Will I still be entitled?

The eligibility for free presciptions on UC is different. It could be possible you are no longer entitled.
To get qualify, you need to had earnings under £435 in your last UC assessment period, £935 if you have children or LCW in your claim.
If you have a tax credits NHS exemption certificate, you can continue to use this until it expires - click for info.

You may qualify for free prescriptions through another route - click here for info.

Will I qualify for free school meals (FSM) for my school age children?

England: In order to claim FSM under UC rules, you need to have earnings under £7,400 per year. This is checked against your most recent UC statements.
There is transitional protection for FSM in England. This means that pupils who were eligible on 1 April 2018, or who became eligible since then, continue to receive free meals, even if their household is no longer eligible under the benefits/low-earnings criteria, up until March 2025 and then until the end of their phase of education.
Scotland: In order to claim FSM under UC rules, you need to have earnings under £796 in your last UC monthly assessment period. This is checked against your most recent UC statement.
You can apply at any point during the school year and this would continue until the summer period even if your earnings increase.
There is no transitional protection for FSM in Scotland.
Wales: In order to claim FSM under UC rules, you need to have earnings under £7,400 per year. This is checked against your most recent UC statements. There is transitional protection for FSM in Wales. This means that pupils who were eligible on 1 April 2018, or who became eligible since then, continue to receive free meals, even if their household is no longer eligible under the benefits/low-earnings criteria, up until March 2025 and then until the end of their phase of education.