Moving to Universal Credit and transitional protection
This information applies to England and Wales.
Universal Credit replaces the following legacy benefits:
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
Move to Universal Credit (GOV.UK)
Skip to
- Universal Credit rollout
- Transitional protection
- Starting a new Universal Credit claim
- Get advice to help you plan
- Transitional element of Severe Disability Premium
- If you make a joint claim with someone who gets Universal Credit
- Transitional protection and managed migration to Universal Credit
- Check you are receiving your new benefits
- Moving house
Universal Credit rollout
Universal Credit (UC) has been rolled out across the UK for:
- new claimants
- people who must make a new claim due to a change in circumstances
- existing claimants who receive a migration notice asking them to claim UC
There are exceptions to this.
Check if you can get Universal Credit (Citizens Advice)
If you are receiving a legacy benefit and do not have a change in circumstances, you do not need to do anything until the DWP contacts you about moving to Universal Credit.
Transitional protection
When you move to Universal Credit, you may be eligible for transitional payment. This is extra money to help with the move.
There are 2 types. What type you get depends on your situation:
- If you have a change in circumstances while you are receiving Severe Disability Premium (SDP), you may be eligible for the transitional element of Severe Disability Premium. You are not eligible for the transitional element of SDP if you are not receiving SDP.
- If the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) moves you to Universal Credit in a ‘managed migration’, you may be eligible for transitional protection.
These 2 benefits are different. The transitional element of SDP is usually less than transitional protection.
Some people are worse off receiving Universal Credit. But these payments can help in the short term. You can work out what you will get with a free online benefits calculator.
You usually have to wait 5 weeks before you get your first Universal Credit payment. You can apply for an advanced payment before then.
Universal Credit is usually paid monthly. If you’ve claimed other benefits, you may have had more frequent payments.
Starting a new Universal Credit claim
If you must start claiming Universal Credit, do this before the deadline DWP has given you. That way you will usually not need to have another Work Capability Assessment.
Work Capability Assessment for ESA or Universal Credit
Get advice when to claim Universal Credit.
Run-on payments
You will get a 'run-on' payment, worth up to 2 weeks of your old benefits and premiums. This includes:
- Income Support
- income-based JSA
- income-based ESA
You do not need to pay this back. It will not affect the amount of UC you get.
More about run-on payments (GOV.UK)
If your Universal Credit increases, you receive less in transitional payments
The total you receive will stay the same until you stop receiving transitional payments.
Let’s say you start by receiving a total of £1,000 a month from:
- £900 Universal Credit
- £100 transitional element
Then the Universal Credit rate goes up to £950. You would still receive a total of £1,000 from:
- £950 Universal Credit
- £50 transitional element
If the Universal Credit rate increases by another £50, you would still receive £1,000. The transitional element would then be £0.
If your Universal Credit rate goes up again to £1,050, you would receive all of it. This is because you would not be receiving any transitional payments.
(These are example figures, not real Universal Credit rates.)
Get advice to help you plan
Contact the Scope helpline to find out:
- if you might be eligible for transitional payments
- how your income could change when you start receiving Universal Credit
Find an adviser near you (advicelocal)
You can also get advice and support from others who have received transitional protection.
Transitional payments are not permanent. It is not always possible to know how long your payments will last. It can depend on:
- how much transitional protection you start with
- how much the rest of your Universal Credit increases
Transitional element of Severe Disability Premium
To be eligible for the transitional element, you must:
- still meet the eligibility criteria for Severe Disability Premium
- start claiming Universal Credit after a change in circumstances within 1 month of your last SDP payment
If you want to check what benefits you are receiving, contact DWP.
You may also have this information in a DWP letter.
If you need to start claiming Universal Credit, do this before your legacy benefit ends so there is no gap. That way you will not need to be reassessed if you move from ESA.
Universal Credit: How to claim (GOV.UK)
Help to Claim (Citizens Advice)
The transitional SDP element could be less than transitional protection. This means that your income may be less when you start receiving Universal Credit. The transitional SDP element may not be enough to make up the difference.
Warning Change of circumstances
Tell DWP when something changes in your life. This could include:
- moving house, particularly if you move to a new local authority if you are receiving Housing Benefit
- starting a new job
- stopping work
- having a child
- if a partner starts or stops living with you
- starting or stopping being a carer
If your rent increases, it will not trigger a move to Universal Credit. You should still tell DWP about it.
What changes in circumstances might trigger a move to Universal Credit (entitledto)
Report a change in your circumstances (GOV.UK)
Some changes of circumstance can mean your transitional protection will stop.
If you make a joint claim with someone who gets Universal Credit
You cannot start receiving the transitional element if you make a joint claim with someone who already receives Universal Credit.
For example, you would not be eligible if you moved in with your partner who receives Universal Credit.
If you already receive transitional payments
They will stop if:
- a partner moves in with you
- you move in with your partner
- you move out, and stop living with a partner
If your partner starts living with you
You would need to make a joint claim for Universal Credit. You would not be able to get the transitional element because joint claims are not eligible.
If you already live with a partner
You will get transitional protection if you:
- have a joint claim of legacy benefit
- meet the criteria
- and move to a joint Universal Credit claim
If you already live with a partner and have a joint claim of legacy benefits
You can get transitional protection when you claim Universal Credit.
Transitional protection and managed migration to Universal Credit
You may be eligible to receive transitional protection if you move to Universal Credit in a ‘managed migration’. This means the DWP would send you a ‘migration notice’ letter.
Universal Credit if you receive a Migration Notice letter (GOV.UK)
Your new income would not go down when you start your new claim for Universal Credit. Transitional protection will make up the difference between your old claim and your new claim.
You are not eligible if you start claiming Universal Credit after a change in circumstances. For example, if you moved house to a new local authority. But you might be eligible for the transitional element of SDP instead.
Make your new Universal Credit claim as soon as you can
If you must move from an old legacy benefit to Universal Credit, make your new claim before the deadline DWP has given you.
If the DWP has asked you to move to Universal Credit, this will be the only way for you to keep receiving payments.
If there is no gap between your claims, you will usually not need another Work Capability Assessment. If you did not have to look for work or do ‘work-related activity’ before, this should stay the same.
Get advice when to claim Universal Credit.
If you need more time to make your new Universal Credit claim, contact DWP.
If the DWP have not contacted you about moving to Universal Credit, you do not need to do anything.
Check you are receiving your new benefits
Check your online Universal Credit account to find out if you are receiving:
- transitional protection or
- the transitional element of SDP
You should start receiving them automatically. Transitional payments are not normally backdated.
If you have not received transitional payments and think you should, you can:
- leave a question in your Universal Credit journal, which is in your online account
- contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
If after this you have still not received transitional payments, you can appeal.
Moving house
Moving house is often a change of circumstance that would trigger a move to Universal Credit.
This is even more likely if you move to another local authority and are receiving Housing Benefit.
If this happens, you would need to apply for Universal Credit and go through the assessment process.
Exceptions
You could make a new claim for Housing Benefit instead of Universal Credit if any of the following apply. You:
- are over State Pension age
- move to temporary accommodation arranged by your local authority
- move to supported housing or sheltered accommodation
Check what you’re eligible for.
Last reviewed by Scope on: 23/07/2024
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