DWP to send all migration notices by end of December 2025

The Department for Work and Pensions has said that all migration notices should be sent by the end of December 2025, with the migration process completed by Spring 2026¹. The notices tell people claiming legacy benefits that they need to claim Universal Credit, or Pension Credit for some people over state pension age, by a deadline given in the letter¹.

Income-related Employment and Support Allowance claimants, whether claiming it alone or with Housing Benefit, are the last group to be migrated¹. The department has said that all migration notices should be sent by the end of December 2025 and the migration process completed by Spring 2026¹.

People who move through managed migration and would be entitled to less under Universal Credit or Pension Credit than under their old legacy benefits may receive a transitional protection element, a temporary top-up that makes up the difference¹. It is only added for people who have been managed migrated¹. The element is calculated by comparing the total legacy benefits amount with the indicative amount under Universal Credit or Pension Credit¹.

The element is temporary and is reduced as the Universal Credit or Pension Credit award rises. If entitlement increases, for example because of an annual increase in benefit rates, a new element being included in the award or a rent increase, the transitional protection element is reduced by the same amount as the increase¹. It does not increase each year like benefit rates can, and is only ever reduced, so income from Universal Credit or Pension Credit is in effect frozen until the element reaches nil¹. Changes to childcare costs do not reduce the element¹. The element does not reduce until a claimant has been receiving Universal Credit for at least a month, but from the second assessment period onwards any reductions are made in the same period an increase occurs¹. It does not change if earnings fluctuate, unless the administrative earnings threshold rule applies¹.

The element is removed completely if a partner leaves or joins the household, if household earnings drop below the administrative earnings threshold for three assessment periods in a row, or if the Universal Credit award ends¹. Once lost it is not applied to future awards, with one exception: if the award ends because of an increase in income and a new Universal Credit claim is made within three months, the new claim is treated as a continuation of the old one and the element can be included again¹.

Why it matters for households

Anyone still on legacy benefits, including income-related Employment and Support Allowance claimants, can expect a migration notice by the end of December 2025, and the process is due to be completed by Spring 2026¹. The letter sets a deadline for claiming Universal Credit, and if a claim is not made in time the old benefit payments stop¹. A short extension may be possible, considered case by case, but it must be requested before the deadline on the letter¹. Missing the deadline and claiming afterwards may mean losing the transitional protection element top-up¹.

For those who receive the element, the practical effect is that the total award is held at roughly the level of the old legacy benefits until the element is eroded to nil, so increases in Universal Credit or Pension Credit rates do not feed through as higher payments in the meantime¹. The element should be listed in the award breakdown in the Universal Credit journal as "Transitional protection"¹.

What happens next

Migration notices are to be sent by the end of December 2025, with the migration process completed by Spring 2026¹. Help with a claim is available from the Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline on 0800 169 0328, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, from a local job centre, or from the Citizens Advice Universal Credit Help To Claim service¹. Our guide on what to do if you get a migration notice sets out the steps, and the benefits hub covers related support.