Universal Credit if you're State Pension age and get a Migration Notice letter (2024)

Only read this guidance if you’re State Pension Age and get a Migration Notice letter

You should read the following guidance if you’re:

a couple where one of you is State Pension ageand one of you is under State Pension age:Universal Credit if you’re a ‘mixed age couple’ and get a Migration Notice letter
not State Pension age:Move to Universal Credit if you get a Migration Notice letter

If you have not received a Migration Notice letter visit the Universal Credit guidance.

Universal Credit is for State Pension age people who are working

You can claim Universal Credit if you’re working and receiving tax credits.

If you’re State Pension ageandget a Migration Notice letter, you can claim Universal Credit even if:

you’re still working
you’ve renewed your tax credits
you have money, savings and investments of more than £16,000
you’re receiving a pension

To continue getting financial support, you must claim Universal Credit by the deadline date in your letter.

You can continue working with no ‘work-related conditions’ for 12assessment periods(about 12 months). This means you will not have to:

increase your hours
find additional work
attend work-related meetings at your local job centre

Benefits that are ending

The following benefits are ending and are being replaced by Universal Credit:

Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit

Your Housing Benefit will beending

If you receive Housing Benefit, it will be ending. However, if you’re eligible, housing support will be added to your entitlement when you claim Universal Credit.

Your benefits will end even if you decide not to claim Universal Credit.

Reclaiming Housing Benefit

You can reclaim Housing Benefit if you do not claim Universal Credit, or you claim before your deadline date but are not entitled to 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.

Find out more aboutHousing Benefit eligibility.

When you need to apply

To continue receiving financial support you must claim Universal Credit by the deadline date in your letter.

If you cannot claim Universal Credit by the deadline date, you should contact theUniversal Credit Migration Notice helplineas soon as possible.

You may be able to get more time to make a claim if you have a good reason. You must request this before your deadline date.

Transitional protection

As your benefits are ending and you need to move to Universal Credit some of the normal eligibility rules for claiming are different. This is known as‘transitional protection’.

To get transitional protection you must claim Universal Credit by your deadline date.

You will not get transitional protection if you claim before you get a Migration Notice letter.

Transitional protection top up payments

If the amount you’re entitled to on your existing benefits is more than you’ll get on Universal Credit, a top up is available.

You can only get this additional amountif you have received a Migration Notice and claim by your deadline date.

If you have debt from your existing benefits, this will be recovered when you move to Universal Credit and deducted from your Universal Credit amount. Seewhat you’ll getfor more on deductions.

You do not need to apply for transitional protection.It will be paid to you automatically if you get a Migration Notice and make a Universal Credit claim by your deadline date.

Money, savings and investments

You can claim Universal Credit even if you have money, savings and investments over £16,000 for 12 assessment periods.

After this, you will not be eligible for Universal Credit if you still have more than £16,000 in money, savings and investments. 

If you apply after the deadline date and have money, savings and investments of more than £16,000 you will not be able to claim Universal Credit.

Change of circ*mstances

If you have a change in circ*mstances, such as stopping work before you claim Universal Credit, you may not be eligible for transitional protection.

Claiming Pension Credit instead of Universal Credit

If you choose to apply for Pension Credit instead of Universal Credit,you will not get transitional protection and may receive less financial support.

If you then decide to withdraw your Pension Credit claim and apply for Universal Credit by your deadline date, you’ll still be eligible for transitional protection.

Once a claim to Pension Credit is accepted, the option to apply for Universal Credit is closed.

Find out more aboutPension Credit.You can also usethePension Credit calculatorto work out how much you might get.

What you’ll get

On Universal Credit, most people will be entitled to the same amount they received from their previous benefits, or more.If your circ*mstances change before you make your claim, this may affect the amount you get.

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

Find out more aboutwhat you’ll get.

Benefits calculators

You can use an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator to estimate how much you could get on Universal Credit.

Benefit calculators give estimates so may not be accurate.

Theentitledtoand thePolicy in Practice Better Offcalculators:

calculate transitional protection (top up payments) available
take into account if you’re State Pension age
can be used if you receive tax credits and have money, savings and investments of £16,000 or more

Calculations do not include any deductions that may be taken from your Universal Credit amount.

DWPis not responsible for information given by the calculators.

Removal of the benefit cap

Thebenefit capis normally applied to Universal Credit and other benefits.This a limit on the total amount of benefit you can get.However, the benefit cap will not apply if:

you’re State Pension age
you’re still working
you receive a Migration Notice

How Universal Credit is worked out

Your Universal Credit award is calculated based on your circ*mstances each month. These are called your ‘assessment periods’. This is different to tax credits which are calculated yearly.

Earnings

How much Universal Credit you get willdepend on yourearnings. This includes income from:

full time work
part time work
employed orself-employedwork
pensions

Changes in your circ*mstancescan affect how much you’re paid for the whole assessment period – not just from the date you report them.

Find outhow 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,Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)andJobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
utility debts, like electricity, gas, water

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

Find out more aboutmoney taken off your Universal Credit payment.

If you’re claiming a pension

You can still claim Universal Credit if you’re receiving your pension. However, the amount of pension you receive will be deducted from your Universal Credit amount and treated asincome.

If you have delayed (‘deferred’) your State Pension

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

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

After 12 assessment periods, the amount of pension you’re entitled to is counted as income, even if you’ve decided not to take it. This is known as ‘notional’ income.This can affect how much Universal Credit you get.

Once you move to Universal Credit, you will not be able tocontinue building up any:

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

What you’ll get if you live with your partner

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

How to claim Universal Credit

You can apply for Universal Credit online.

You need to create an account to make a claim. You must complete your claim within 28 days of creating your account or you’ll have to start again.

When you or your partner make a claim to Universal Credit your existing benefits that are being replaced by Universal Credit will stop. You cannot go back to those benefits, because they are ending.

If you cannot apply online, you can claim by phone. Call theUniversal Credit Migration Notice helpline.

How to claim if you live with a partner

You’ll both need to claim Universal Credit if you live with your partner in the same household and are:

married to each other
civil partners of each other
living together as if you are married

You must make a joint claim for your household, even if your partner is not eligible for Universal Credit. You cannot claim by yourself.

To begin, both of you need to create your own Universal Credit online accounts. The first person to create their account will receive a partner code, which will be displayed on screen.

Your partner will then need to use this code when they create their Universal Credit online account. This ensures the accounts are joined together and you are correctly claiming as a couple.

Once you’ve created your account you can make a claim for Universal Credit.

What you’ll need to apply

To apply online you’ll need:

your bank, building society or credit union account details
an email address
access to a phone

To prove your identity, you’ll need some documents such as your:

driving licence
passport
debit or credit card
payslip or P60

To complete your claim you’ll need to provide information about:

your housing, for example how much rent you pay
your earnings, for example payslips
any disability or health condition that affects your work
how much you pay for childcare if you want help with childcare costs
your savings and any investments, like shares or a property that you rent out

You might need an appointment with the Universal Credit team if:

they need more information
you cannot verify your identity online

You’ll be told if this appointment will be in a jobcentre or on the phone.

Apply for Universal Credit online

Steps to getting Universal Credit

Set up an Online Universal Credit account.
Complete and submit online claim.
Prove your identity.
Provide documents and evidence to support your claim.
Agree the activities inyour claimant commitment.

When you prove your identity we’ll know you’ve received a Migration Notice letter and your information will be linked up automatically.

Start now

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

How you’re paid

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

If you’re not able to open a bank, building society or credit union account, call theUniversal Credit Migration Notice helplinefor advice about how to arrange a different way of getting paid.

Your payment can include anamount for housing costs, which you’ll usually need to pay to your landlord. If your landlord was being paid your housing costs directly, you’ll need to discuss the change of payment arrangements with them.

Final payments for existing benefits

The date of your final payments from your existing benefits depends on whichever is first:

the deadline date on your letter
when you make a claim to Universal Credit

If any further payments are due, they will be made shortly after your entitlement ends.

Moving from tax credits

If you claim tax credits, your entitlement will end as soon as you make a claim to Universal Credit.

If you do not make a claim by the deadline, your tax credit entitlement will end on the day before the deadline.

Moving from Housing Benefit

If you’ve applied for Universal Credit, you’ll keep getting your current benefit paid for 2 more weeks. You must still be eligible for your current benefit. You will not need to pay back these extra payments and they will not affect the Universal Credit you might get.

If you do not make a claim to Universal Credit by the deadline, your last day of entitlement to your existing benefits will be 2 weeks after the deadline.

If you receive both tax credits and Housing Benefit, your tax credits will end as soon as you make a claim, or the day before your deadline date (whichever is first). Your Housing Benefit will continue for 2 weeks.

Help while waiting for your first payment

Your claim starts on the day you submit 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 canapply for an advance withinyour Universal Credit online account.

You’ll need to pay back your advance in instalments from your future Universal Credit payments.

Find out more abouthow you’re paidincluding payment dates, if you live with a partner, and alternative payment arrangements.

Your responsibilities

When you have made your claim to Universal Credit you’ll need to manage your own finances and maintain your 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 circ*mstances
if you’re self-employed, you will need to report your earnings every month

To get Universal Credit payments, you’ll need to accept an agreement called a ‘claimant commitment’. What you’ll need to commit to will dependon your ageand circ*mstances. Find out more aboutclaimant commitments.

If you’re employed or self-employedyou will not be expected to look for work during your first 12 assessment periods.

Changes in circ*mstances you must tell us about

You need to report changes to your circ*mstances so you keep getting the right amount each month.

Changes can include: 

changing your bank details
changes to work and money, such as earnings,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 circ*mstances you must tell us about.

You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you deliberately give wrong information or do not report a change in your circ*mstances.

When you move to Universal Credit, for 12 assessment periodsyou can work and have no conditions or requirements.

However, if you’re self-employed and move to Universal Credityou’llneed to 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.

From this point, we’ll 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 dropbelow the MET for 3 months in a row your Universal Credit claim will be closed.

Work Capability Assessments

If you’re State Pension age and have a health condition or disability, you will not need a Work Capability Assessmentwhen you move to Universal Credit.

Support

Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Phone: 0800 169 0328

Video relay servicefor British Sign Language (BSL) users.

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

If you cannot speak or hear on the phone

You can use ourRelay UKservice to make a free, text-supported call to the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline. Dial 18001 followed by 0800 169 0328.

Other financial help and support

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

You might be able to get different support in Scotland.

If you’re in financial difficulties, you can get help and advice from the government, local councils, and other organisations, such asadvicelocal.uk.