If you get the severe disability premium

If you get, or are entitled to, the severe disability premium you may be able to get 鈥榯ransitional protection鈥� if you move to Universal Credit.

This is an extra payment to help with your move to Universal Credit. Most people will get this automatically but some will need to apply for it.

Eligibility

You鈥檒l get this payment if all of the following apply:

  • you (or your partner) get, or are entitled to, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • you get, or are entitled to, the severe disability premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
  • you鈥檙e still eligible for the severe disability premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim
  • you鈥檝e not joined an existing Universal Credit claim

If you鈥檙e in a couple and you get, or are entitled to, the higher severe disability premium rate, then the following also needs to apply in the first month after you claim Universal Credit:

  • no one gets Carer鈥檚 Allowance or Carer Support Payment for caring for you or your partner
  • no one gets an extra amount on top of their Universal Credit payments for caring for your or your partner

How to claim your transitional protection payment

If you鈥檙e entitled to the transitional protection payment, you鈥檒l get it automatically if your previous benefit was claimed as:

  • a single person

  • part of a couple and the payments were in your name

This will appear in your Universal Credit account.听

If you separate from your partner and want to claim Universal Credit

You will not automatically get the transitional protection payment if you were part of a couple and:听

  • benefit payments were only made in your partner鈥檚 name (either into their bank account or a joint account)

  • your partner got, or was entitled to, a severe disability premium as part of a claim for Income Support, income-based JSA or income-related ESA

You need to claim Universal Credit within one month of separating from your partner if you want to also claim transitional protection payment.听

You need to tell the Department for Work and Pensions that you may be eligible to claim a transitional protection payment. Tell them as soon as possible after you claim Universal Credit and within 13 months.

Tell DWP you want to claim your transitional protection payment by either:

What you鈥檒l get

If you鈥檙e single you鈥檒l get:

  • 拢132.12, if the 鈥榣imited capability for work and work-related activity鈥� element is included in your Universal Credit payment
  • 拢313.79, if the 鈥榣imited capability for work and work-related activity鈥� element is not included in your Universal Credit payment

If you鈥檙e in a couple you鈥檒l get:

  • 拢445.91, if you get, or are entitled to, the higher severe disability premium rate
  • 拢132.12, if you get, or are entitled to, the lower severe disability premium rate and the 鈥榣imited capability for work and work-related activity鈥� element is included in your or your partner鈥檚 Universal Credit payment
  • 拢313.79, if you get, or are entitled to, the lower severe disability premium rate and the 鈥榣imited capability for work and work-related activity鈥� element is not included in your Universal Credit payment

Extra amounts

You could get more money in your transitional protection payment if you get, or are entitled to, other disability premiums or the disabled child premium.

If you get other disability premiums

You can get more money in your transitional protection payment if:

  • you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium or the disability premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
  • you鈥檙e still eligible for the enhanced disability premium or the disability premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim

If you鈥檙e single, you鈥檒l get an extra:

  • 拢84, if you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium
  • 拢172, if you get, or are entitled to, the disability premium

If you鈥檙e in a couple you鈥檒l get an extra:

  • 拢120, if you get, or are entitled to, the enhanced disability premium
  • 拢246, if you get, or are entitled to, the disability premium

If you get the disabled child premium

You might get the disabled child premium as part of your:

  • Income Support
  • income-based JSA
  • Child Tax Credit (called the 鈥榙isabled child element鈥�)

You can get more money in your transitional protection payment if:

  • you get, or are entitled to, the disabled child premium within the month immediately before the first day of your Universal Credit claim
  • you鈥檙e still eligible for the disabled child premium at the start of your Universal Credit claim
  • the lower rate of the disabled child element is included in your Universal Credit payment

You鈥檒l get an extra 拢177 for each qualifying child.

Changes to the amount of transitional protection

Transitional protection reduces over time by the amount of any increase in your Universal Credit. This does not include any increase to pay for childcare costs.

It will end if any of the following apply:

  • you鈥檙e a single claimant and you start living with your partner
  • you stop living with your partner
  • your Universal Credit increases by more than the transitional protection amount
  • your earnings fall below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET) for more than 3 assessment periods (the AET is 拢494 per month for an individual and 拢782 per month for a couple)
  • your Universal Credit claim ends

If your Universal Credit stops for less than 3 months because your earnings are too high, you may get transitional protection again when your claim restarts.