The Department for Work and Pensions is urging people to "act quickly" over a huge Universal Credit shakeup - or risk having their benefits stopped.
The Government is moving all Tax Credit claimants on to Universal Credit by the end of March 2025, under a process known as managed migration. This means Tax Credits are coming to an end, and anyone who currently receives the benefit will have to manually apply for Universal Credit, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The switch is not automatic and households need to act when they receive their migration letter before their benefits stop. The DWP is performing the switch region by region.
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On Monday, DWP said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Tax Credits are ending. Don't risk missing out on financial support".
Further advice online reads: "Look out for a letter called a Universal Credit Migration Notice from the DWP explaining what you’ll need to do, and by when. If you are claiming Tax Credits and are aged 65 or over, DWP will write to you to ask you to apply for Universal Credit or Pension Credit, depending on your circumstances.
"You won’t be moved automatically, so it’s important to act quickly and follow the instructions in the letter, otherwise your benefits will stop. To continue to receive financial support, you will need to claim Universal Credit by the deadline stated in your Migration Notice letter, even if you have just renewed your Tax Credits claim."
Figures show that thousands of people are losing out on money every month because they have not claimed Universal Credit when their legacy benefits were stopped. According to DWP statistics, almost one in seven claimants had their legacy benefits claims closed and did not complete a claim for Universal Credit, potentially losing hundreds of pounds a month.
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