AS A BUSY working mum to two boys with autism, Jade from Halifax has to be organised.
So when a letter called a Migration Notice from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) dropped through her door in October 2024, she acted on it fast.
‘They took time to understand our situation and answered questions quickly’
Eligibility criteria apply. For more information and support on Universal Credit, visit gov.uk/ucmove
GET SET, GO!
How the move to Universal Credit worked for one family
“Sam and I both received a migration notice letter,” Jade says. “It gave us up to three months to fill in the UC application online, but leaving things to the last minute isn’t me.”
Being able to save the application form meant that Jade could come back to it at a convenient time and easily fit this around her family life.
“The forms were simple to complete. There were questions about any income and other benefits I received – Disability Living Allowance for the boys, for example,” she says. “But I didn’t need another Work Capability Assessment. My health condition hasn’t changed, so all that information was automatically transferred as part of the application process.
“Official forms can sometimes be a bit much for Sam, so I filled in Sam’s form with him.”
Filling in the form
Advertisement feature IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UK GOVERNMENT
In partnership with
The letter told Jade, 33, that her current benefits were ending and that she and her partner Sam needed to apply for Universal Credit (UC) to continue receiving financial support.
Customers on six different types of old-style benefits (income-related Employment and Support Allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; Working Tax Credit; Child Tax Credit; Income Support; and Housing Benefit) are being asked to move to Universal Credit, which streamlines and simplifies their payments into a single monthly payment.
To be considered for Transitional Protection, it’s important that you only apply to move to UC after receiving your Migration Notice letter, and that you do so within the deadline given.
In Jade’s case, she found they would receive a little more than before towards their rent. “We were so surprised and relieved,” Jade says.
“This move to UC has been brilliant for us,” adds Sam.
Jade and Sam have now received their third Universal Credit payment, and everything is running smoothly.
“One day I’d like to be able to work full time again,” says Jade. “I’m taking courses in childcare, aiming to get a teaching assistant job. But right now our family needs this support and we’re grateful to the DWP team for the help.”
Setting up a Universal Credit account
During the application process, Jade was taken through how to set up a Universal Credit account online. She was impressed with how easy it was to use.
“There’s a space called a journal, which is a private messaging forum to ask the DWP questions,” Jade says.
“Previously, I had to ring to speak to an adviser. But with the journal, you type your question in – and there’s no limit to the number of words, so you can be as detailed as you want to be.
“I had a couple of questions about our situation and I received a response really quickly via text telling me to log in to my journal for the answers.”
Easy answers
The first of Jade’s questions was about the photo ID requested in the application – she doesn’t have any, so the DWP explained the other options for confirming Jade’s identity.
Secondly, she wanted the couple’s UC payment to be paid into her account every month – being responsible for the household finances, Jade felt this would make life simpler.
And as rent is no longer paid directly to the landlord, she’d set up a standing order to pay their rent on the day she received her UC payment.
If you think you’ll struggle with this, you can ask for a portion of your UC to be paid directly to your landlord by calling the UC helpline.
“DWP staff took the time to understand our situation,” Jade says. “They accepted my birth certificate as ID and said issuing a joint UC payment was no problem.”
The new payments
In the run-up to the couple’s first UC payment in December 2024, Jade was apprehensive. What if somehow they received less money on Universal Credit?
In fact, most people are likely to receive the same or more on Universal Credit as they did on their old-style benefits and so she needn’t have worried.
If your entitlement is less, you could receive an additional amount, if you meet the relevant eligibility criteria. This is called Transitional Protection.
This support is added automatically to your Universal Credit payment. How long you receive this will depend on your circumstances.
‘The move to Universal Credit has been brilliant for us’
Over a million people have already made the move, and now it’s the turn of those, like Jade and Sam, who both claim income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
