Universal Credit migration deadline passes as DWP Tax Credits formally finish – what occurs now

The last day for people claiming Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits to secure transitional protection has now passed. Here’s what to do if you missed the deadline

Six existing benefits are being rolled into the Universal Credit scheme as part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) overhaul.

As a result, Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits officially came to an end on April 5.

The cut-off date for those receiving Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits to secure transitional protection has also passed. However, this doesn’t necessarily spell the end of your benefits.

As part of the shift, all recipients of Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits should have received a migration letter from the DWP.

This correspondence detailed the steps needed to transition to Universal Credit, along with a personal deadline to complete these actions in order to lock in transitional protection.

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Transitional protection was designed to ensure that individuals transitioning between benefits wouldn’t be left out of pocket, even if they didn’t meet specific criteria for Universal Credit or would receive less under the new system.

For example, if a worker was raking in £800 a month through Tax Credits but would only qualify for £600 a month on Universal Credit, they’d be awarded £200 of transitional protection.

This means they’d still pocket a total of £800 per month on Universal Credit, ensuring the switch doesn’t leave any claimants worse off financially, reports the Mirror.

If you’ve missed your transitional protection deadline or failed to act on the migration letter, your legacy benefits will stop. However, you can still apply for Universal Credit.

You’ve got to tick all the boxes for Universal Credit and go through the usual claim process. Bear in mind, you won’t get transitional protection, so your Universal Credit might be a bit skinnier than your old legacy benefit.

If you can’t hit the deadline in your migration notice for a good reason, give the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline a call. They might be able to stretch your claim period, but usually, you need to ask before the deadline.

The helpline’s open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on 0800 169 0328. If you’re still pocketing legacy benefits, it’s key to remember that you only need to act if you get a migration notice telling you to claim Universal Credit or if your situation changes.

Tax Credits are the first benefits to officially pack up under the migration. The following benefits are also on the chopping block:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Housing Benefit, unless you’re in supported or temporary accommodation