Managed Migration started in Northern Ireland

Managed Migration began in Northern Ireland in April 2023, when the Department for Communities started inviting people receiving legacy benefits to claim Universal Credit¹. The process had already been running in England and Wales for some time¹. Until recently, only claimants receiving Tax Credits only, either Working Tax Credits or Child Tax Credits, were invited to move through the official process¹.

Law Centre NI, which published a guide to Managed Migration for Tax Credit claimants in Northern Ireland, describes it as the only type of migration that offers Transitional Protection¹.

A Migration Notice is an official letter telling a claimant that their Tax Credit award will terminate and that they must claim Universal Credit¹. Claimants have at least three months from the date the notice is issued to make their claim; reminders are usually sent after three weeks, seven weeks and ten weeks¹. The deadline can be extended, by a maximum of four weeks per request, with no limit on the number of requests, though the guide says a request should be made at least one week before the deadline date on the letter¹. The Final Deadline Date is one calendar month after the deadline day, and a valid claim made within that month is treated as if made on the original deadline date, preserving eligibility for Transitional Protection¹.

The guide sets out several features of the move for Tax Credit claimants¹:

Transitional Protection is paid as a Transitional Element within the Universal Credit calculation¹. From the second assessment period of a claim, any change in circumstances that increases the Universal Credit award reduces the Transitional Element on a £1 for £1 basis until it is gone, with erosion taking effect from the start of the assessment period in which the change occurs¹. The element is also eroded when benefit uprating occurs at the start of each financial year in April¹. The addition of a Childcare Costs Element does not erode it¹. As of 13 May 2024, the Administrative Earnings Threshold was £892 per assessment period for a single person¹.

Why it matters for households

Households in Northern Ireland receiving Tax Credits only were the first to be brought into Managed Migration from April 2023¹. The guide records the rollout continuing to further groups: people claiming Tax Credits with Housing Benefit from 13 May 2024, people claiming Income Support from June 2024, people claiming Housing Benefit only and people claiming Child Tax Credits with Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related) from July 2024, and people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (Income Based) from September 2024¹. Claimants receiving multiple benefits migrate based on the planned rollout date of their lead benefit¹.

For those affected, the Tax Credit award ends whether or not a Universal Credit claim is made, and because Tax Credits has no run-on period there is a full five-week wait before the first Universal Credit payment¹. Transitional Protection is only available through Managed Migration, and only where a valid claim is made by the deadline or final deadline¹. Where a couple claims, each partner receives their own Migration Notice and both must make their own valid claim, with the claims linked as a joint claim using a linking code from the Department for Communities¹.

What happens next

The guide lists the rollout dates above, running from 13 May 2024 to September 2024, for the groups being invited in Northern Ireland¹. It also notes that the Transitional Element is eroded when benefit uprating occurs at the start of each financial year in April¹. No further dates beyond those have been reported.

Anyone who receives a Migration Notice can read our guide to what to do if you get a migration notice, and information on how Tax Credits ended and dealing with overpayments is also available.