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What the transitional element is

An element is an additional payment on top of your聽standard allowance聽of Universal Credit.听Additional payments are to cover the cost of things like caring for someone, having children, or moving from one benefit to another.

The transitional element is an additional payment that鈥檚 part of聽transitional protection. Transitional protection is available to you if you receive a Migration Notice letter and move to Universal Credit by your deadline date.

How we calculate the transitional element

Your Universal Credit entitlement is assessed every month, based on your current circumstances. This is known as an聽assessment period.

When a claim is made and verified, the transitional element is calculated using聽a Universal Credit amount that鈥檚 based on your known circumstances from the day before your claim. This amount is referred to as the 鈥榠ndicative Universal Credit award鈥�.

At this point, the transitional element is the difference between the indicative Universal Credit award and聽your聽previous legacy benefit amount. It aims to protect your benefit entitlement at the point of moving to Universal Credit.听

The indicative Universal Credit award, including the transitional element, is an estimation based on your circumstances the day before you make your Universal Credit claim.

Applying the benefit cap

Universal Credit claims are affected by聽the聽benefit cap. The cap is also used in the calculation of the transitional element and applied to the indicative Universal Credit award.听Some people, such as those of State Pension age,聽will not have their Universal Credit entitlement capped.

Find out more about聽when you鈥檙e not affected by the benefit cap.

Information we use to calculate the transitional element

The transitional element is calculated using information you give us in your Universal Credit claim and your existing legacy benefits information.

The claim covers details about your circumstances, which includes:

• your聽employment status
• who you live with
• your household income, savings and investments
• if you have children and any childcare costs
• if anyone in your household has a disability or health condition
• if you鈥檙e a carer
• the benefits you聽get聽now

This information is checked against existing data from:

• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)聽benefit systems:听Income Support, income-based Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• local聽councils:听Housing Benefit
• HM Revenue and Customs聽(HMRC):听Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit

If you鈥檙e a carer

If you declare yourself as a carer on your Universal Credit claim, even if you do not get Carer鈥檚 Allowance, your indicative Universal Credit award will include an additional payment. This is known as the carer element.

If you鈥檙e in a couple

If you live with a partner, their details will also be used to calculate the transitional element. This is because Universal Credit is a household benefit, so you鈥檒l need to make a joint claim with your partner.听

We鈥檒l collect the same information about your partner鈥檚 circumstances, which is taken from聽their Universal Credit claim. If your partner is claiming any benefits, this will also be checked against existing data.听

If you do not live with your partner

If you and your partner live apart and claim tax credits as a couple, you鈥檒l be treated as 2 separate households on Universal Credit. In these circumstances, you and your partner would not be eligible for the transitional element.听Because you received a Migration Notice, you鈥檒l still be entitled to the聽different聽eligibility rules.

If you鈥檙e responsible for a child

You could get an extra amount, the 鈥榗hild element鈥�, for your children if they live with you. You would get the child element until the 31 August after their:

• 16th birthday
• 19th birthday, if they鈥檙e in full-time, non-advanced education or training 鈥� for example, they鈥檙e studying for GCSEs, A levels, BTECs, Scottish Highers and SVQs, or NVQs up to level 3

If you currently receive Child Tax Credits but your child is not eligible for the child element of Universal Credit, the transitional element will not cover that difference in entitlement.

Moving from the old types of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

There are 2 old types of ESA:听

• income-related ESA which is means tested聽

• contribution-based ESA that is not means tested聽聽

If you or your partner get income-related ESA, this will be included in the calculation of the transitional element. This is because Universal Credit is also calculated based on your income.听

If you were also getting a contribution-based ESA, as well as, or as part of, your income-related ESA claim, you will start to get New Style ESA instead. You do not need to do anything to start getting New Style ESA. The New Style ESA part of your claim will be transferred automatically.听

The amount you get from New Style ESA will be聽deducted from your Universal Credit amount.

Moving from tax credits

We ask HMRC for information about your tax credits claim.听This information is used in the transitional element calculation.听HMRC information聽includes details such as your previously reported income.

HMRC calculate tax credits using your annual income. They do not use actual current year income because this is not known in advance.听

Therefore, your indicative Universal Credit award, including the transitional element calculation,聽will either be based on your:

• income from the previous year
• estimated income:听what you told HMRC your current year income is likely to be

You must report any change in circumstances to HMRC before applying for Universal Credit.听聽

If you鈥檙e eligible for housing costs

If you were not previously getting Housing Benefit, the transitional element (and indicative Universal Credit award) is calculated without a housing element.听

However, housing costs may be included from your first assessment period if a housing need is identified in your Universal Credit claim. This is not a change of circumstances, so will not cause the transitional element to decrease. 聽Find out more about聽transitional protection payments.

Support

Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline 聽

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm 聽

Phone: 0800 169 0328聽 聽

0800 phone numbers are free to call from mobiles and landlines.

If you cannot speak or hear on the phone

Use our聽聽service to make a free, text-supported call to the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline. Dial 18001 followed by 0800 169 0328.听

If you use British Sign Language (BSL)

Use our video relay service聽to make a BSL interpreted call to the Migration Notice Helpline.

If you鈥檙e on a computer, visit the聽.

1. select Company to contact: 鈥�DWP (DA Languages)鈥�
2. select Department: 鈥楿niversal Credit - if you have a Migration Notice letter鈥�.

If you鈥檙e on a mobile or tablet, use the InterpretersLive! app.

From the app:

1. select 鈥楧irectory鈥�, search for 鈥楿niversal Credit鈥�
2. select 鈥楿niversal Credit - I have a Migration Notice letter鈥�
3. select 鈥楥all Now鈥�,聽select Company to contact: 鈥�DWP (DA Languages)鈥�
4. select Department: 鈥楿niversal Credit - if you have a Migration Notice letter鈥�
5. select 鈥楥onnect Now鈥�.

If you need help, .

Help to Claim

If you need help to make your claim you can get free support from the Citizens Advice Help to Claim service:

Other financial help and support聽

If you get Universal Credit, you could be eligible for other benefits or financial support. You should鈥�check what you can get.听

You might be able to get鈥�.

If you鈥檙e in financial difficulties, you can get help and advice from the government, local councils, and other organisations, such as聽.