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Only read this guidance if you鈥檙e State Pension age and got a Migration Notice letter

If you did not receive a Migration Notice letter visit the鈥�Universal Credit鈥� guidance.

If you or your partner are not State Pension age and receive a Migration Notice letter

There are different eligibility rules and guidance if you get a Migration Notice letter and you鈥檙e:

• a couple where one of you is State Pension age聽and one of you is under State Pension age, visit:聽Universal Credit if you鈥檙e a 鈥榤ixed age couple鈥� and get a Migration Notice letter
• under State Pension age, visit:聽Move to Universal Credit if you get a Migration Notice letter

Benefits that have ended or are ending

Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit (known as 鈥榯ax credits鈥�) have ended and been replaced by Universal Credit.

Housing Benefit is also ending and is being replaced by Universal Credit (except in certain circumstances).

You may be eligible for Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit will be ending, apart from in the following circumstances:

• you鈥檙e in supported or temporary accommodation聽your Housing Benefit will continue and will not end

• if you do not get Universal Credit or stop claiming Universal Credit you鈥檙e鈥�eligible to reclaim Housing Benefit

You鈥檙e in supported or temporary accommodation

If you live in supported or temporary accommodation, your Housing Benefit will continue to be paid by your local council.

If you have not claimed Universal Credit, you鈥檒l continue to get Housing Benefit.

As you鈥檙e getting Housing Benefit, you do not get聽the extra amount of聽Universal Credit to help with housing costs.

If you get Housing Benefit and you鈥檙e not sure if you live in supported or temporary accommodation, speak to聽your local council.

Reclaiming Housing Benefit

Your Housing Benefit will be ending 2 weeks after your deadline date.鈥疕owever, you may be eligible to reclaim Housing Benefit within 3 months if:

• your Housing Benefit is stopped, and you聽have not claimed Universal Credit
• you claimed before your deadline date but were not entitled to Universal Credit
• you stop receiving Universal Credit

You can get advice from your local council about backdating your Housing Benefit claim. Your claim can only be backdated for up to 3 months.听

Find out more about聽Housing Benefit eligibility.

Eligibility

As you received a Migration Notice letter some of the normal eligibility rules for claiming were different. This is part of鈥�鈥���鈥榯ransitional protection鈥�.鈥���

If you received tax credits

If you got a Migration Notice letter and made a claim with money, savings and investments of more than 拢16,000, you will not be eligible for Universal Credit鈥�if you still have more than 拢16,000 in money, savings and investments after 12鈥� assessment periods. Each assessment period is聽a month.

Claiming Pension Credit instead of Universal Credit

You can choose to claim Pension Credit instead of Universal Credit. If your claim to Pension Credit is accepted, you:聽

• cannot then apply for Universal Credit聽
• will not get Pension Credit transitional protection
• may receive less financial support聽

Find out more about聽Pension Credit.听You can also use聽the聽Pension Credit calculator聽to work out how much you might get.

What you get

On Universal Credit, most people are entitled to the same amount they received from their previous benefits, or more.听

Your Universal Credit payment is made up of a standard allowance and any extra amounts that apply to you, for example if you:

• have children
• need help paying your rent
• have a disability or health condition which prevents you from working

Disabilities or health conditions

If you have a disability or health condition which means you get a disability benefit, you may get an extra amount of Universal Credit. You do not need to provide a fit note or have a聽Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

If you do not get a disability benefit, you need to provide a fit note or have a聽WCA聽to be entitled to an extra amount of Universal Credit.

Find out more about聽what you鈥檒l get.

Transitional protection top up payments

If the amount you were entitled to on tax credits was more than you get on Universal Credit, you get a top up.鈥�鈥���

It鈥檚 paid to you automatically if you got a Migration Notice letter and made a Universal Credit claim by your deadline date.

Removal of the benefit cap

罢丑别听benefit cap聽is normally applied to Universal Credit and other benefits.听This is a limit on the total amount of benefit you can get.听However, the benefit cap does not apply if:聽

• you鈥檙e State Pension age
• you鈥檙e still working
• you received a Migration Notice letter

How Universal Credit is worked out

Your Universal Credit amount is calculated based on your circumstances each month. These are called your 鈥�assessment periods鈥�. This is different to tax credits which were calculated yearly.

Changes in your circumstances鈥痗an affect how much you鈥檙e paid for the whole assessment period 鈥� not just from the date you report them.

Circumstances that could affect the amount you get include:鈥���

• changes before you apply for Universal Credit聽
• changes after you鈥檝e made your claim鈥���
• the information we have is different from what we know from your previous benefit

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How much Universal Credit you get will聽depend on your聽earnings. This includes income from:聽

• full time work
• part time work
• employed or聽self-employed听飞辞谤办
• pensions

The way Universal Credit is worked out is different to how tax credits were.

Find out聽how your wages affect your payments.

Deductions

Money can be taken from your Universal Credit payments to pay for things like:

• court fines
• rent arrears
• overpayments or arrears from tax credits, Council Tax, Housing Benefit,聽Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)聽and聽Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance (JSA)
• utility debts, like electricity, gas and water

Money cannot be deducted from things like your child allowance, childcare, and housing costs.

Find out more about聽money taken off your Universal Credit payment.

If you鈥檙e claiming a pension聽

If you鈥檙e receiving Universal Credit and your pension, the amount of pension you receive is deducted from your Universal Credit amount and treated as聽income.

If you have delayed (鈥榙eferred鈥�) your State Pension聽

If you delayed taking your pension before you received your Migration Notice, we do not treat your deferred pension as income for 12 assessment periods.听

If you then decide to take your pension within this period, it is treated as income.听

After 12 assessment periods, the amount of pension you鈥檙e entitled to is counted as income, even if you鈥檝e decided not to take it. This is known as 鈥榥otional鈥� income.听This can affect how much Universal Credit you get.

When you get Universal Credit, you are not able to聽build up any:聽

• extra State Pension
• State Pension lump sum (if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016)

What you get if you live with a partner

How much you can get will depend on your partner鈥檚 income and savings, as well as your own.

How you鈥檙e paid

Universal Credit is paid once a month, usually into your bank, building society or credit union account.

Your payment can include an聽amount for housing costs, which you鈥檒l usually need to pay to your landlord. If your landlord was being paid your housing costs directly, you鈥檒l need to discuss the change of payment arrangements with them.

Help while waiting for your first payment

Your claim started on the day you submitted it in your account, however it usually takes around 5 weeks to get your first payment.

If you need help with your living costs while you wait for your first payment, you can聽apply for an advance within聽your Universal Credit online account.

You鈥檒l need to pay back your advance in instalments from your future Universal Credit payments.

Find out more about聽how you鈥檙e paid聽including payment dates, if you live with a partner, and alternative payment arrangements.

Your responsibilities

Your responsibilities will depend on your circumstances.

You鈥檒l need to manage your own finances and maintain your Universal Credit claim online. This includes:

• updating your account
• managing your own rent and other housing costs, unless you have another payment arrangement in place
• reporting changes in circumstances
• if you鈥檙e self-employed, you will need to report your earnings every month

If you鈥檙e employed or self-employed聽you are not expected to look for work during your first 12 assessment periods.

Changes in circumstances you must tell us about

You must report changes to your circumstances so you keep getting the right amount each month.

Changes can include:鈥���

• changing your bank details
• changes to work and money, such as earnings,聽pension income, jobs, rent and savings
• change to your health
• household changes, including children, care, partner and immigration status

Find out more about changes in circumstances you must tell us about.

Work-related conditions and assessments

You can continue working with no 鈥榳ork-related conditions鈥� for 12 assessment periods.

This means you will not have to:鈥���

• increase your hours鈥���
• find additional work鈥���
• attend work-related meetings at your local jobcentre

However, if you鈥檙e self-employed and moved to Universal Credit聽you must declare your earnings every month.

After 12 assessment periods

If you decide to remain on Universal Credit after 12 assessment periods and continue working, a minimum earnings threshold (MET) will apply to your earnings.听

From this point, we鈥檒l look at your earnings for the last 3 months to see if they dropped below the MET. At any point during your claim, if your earnings drop聽below the MET for 3 months in a row your Universal Credit claim will be closed.听

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, .

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.