DWP urgently warns 184,000 people their benefits will stop from today | Personal Finance | Finance

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that more than 180,000 benefit payments have been halted after a deadline passed.

The government department had urged those previously claiming one of six benefits to switch over to Universal Credit as part of a migration campaign. Many benefit claimants would have already received a notice informing them they are required to switch.

The DWP disclosed it sent out over 800,000 migration notices since March 2024. However, 184,120 claimants failed to carry out the switch between July 2022 and March 2024, resulting in them losing their benefit payments.

Who will receive a Migration Notice? Only those claiming the following legacy benefits, which are being replaced by Universal Credit, will receive migration notices from the DWP:

• Working Tax Credit.
• Child Tax Credit.
• Housing Benefit.
• Income Support.

• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

The DWP emphasised that people will have three months to switch to Universal Credit from the date a migration notice letter is sent out.

How to claim Universal Credit if necessary

If you’re informed you need to claim Universal Credit via a migration notice, you will first need to create an account . A claim must be completed within 28 days of creating this account – otherwise, you will need to start the process all over again.

If you live with a partner

The DWP has emphasised that both partners must apply if they share a household and meet one of the following criteria:

• They are married to each other.
• They are civil partners of each other.

• They live together as though they are married.

Each partner will also need to set up their own Universal Credit account, with one receiving a partner code. The other partner can then use this code to create their own account, thereby linking the claims.

Before setting up an account online, you will need to have the following documents ready:

• Your bank, building society or credit union account details.
• An email address.
• Access to a phone.
• Driving licence.
• Passport.