This means you can no longer make a new claim for Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and will need to make a claim for UC instead.   

Most people who receive these ‘legacy benefits’ will have their claims transferred to UC by December 2025.

If you receive any of these benefits, except ESA without any TC, you will shortly receive a ‘Migration Notice’, which is a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions advising you to apply for UC.  This means you must make a claim for UC before the date confirmed in your letter.  If you don't make your claim in time your old benefit payments may stop.

Pensions Aged Tax Credit households (including mixed aged couples) will receive a Migration Notice from August 2024 onwards. ESA claimants will not begin until September 2024.

You should not make a claim for UC unless you have received your ‘Migration Notice’ or are sure you would be better off and can manage the UC claimant process.  

You can find more information about the Move to UC from the UK Government website. 

There is also a helpful video available.