Migration timetable
The timetable for moving tax credit and other legacy benefit claimants across to universal credit has changed a number of times over the year. The current timetable is that most existing tax credit claimants are expected to have moved to universal credit by the end of the 2024/25 tax year. This page explains more about the current migration timetable.
Content on this page:
Managed migration roll-out
DWP began the formal managed migration exercise on a small scale to test and develop their processes before scaling up to cover all claimants.
The number of people that DWP are sending migration notices to has been gradually increasing throughout 2023 and 2024 but their plans mean they are controlling the increase in numbers.
To start with, DWP were mainly sending migration notices only to tax credit claimants with single claims but they expanded to include all types of tax credit claims by the end of 2023.
Claims with some characteristics are being brought into the exercise in different stages, for example joint claims where both claimants are approaching their state pension age or where there is a qualifying young person included in the claim who is age 19, or claimants who have an appointee. This is mainly due to differences in entitlement between tax credits and universal credit and trying to minimise inconvenience for claimants or because DWP have not yet brought in processes to deal with certain claim types. However, DWP may still select small numbers of claimants from some of these deferred groups to join the exercise as they develop processes to deal with the additional aspects of more complex cases.
Current timetable
The timetable may be subject to change but the latest position is published on the GOV.UK website
From July 2024, DWP started contacting tax credit claimants who have reached their state pension age to tell them that their tax credits will be ending. Some will be sent a migration notice and invited to claim universal credit and some will be sent a tax credits closure notice and then need to claim pension credit, depending on their circumstances.
Tax credit only claimants, that is, those claiming tax credits but no other legacy benefits, join the managed migration exercise during 2023. By the end of the 2023/24 tax year, most have been invited to migrate to universal credit.
Tax credit claimants who also claim any of the other legacy benefits (including ESA) will be selected for the managed migration mainly during 2024. By the end of the 2024/25 tax year, most will have migrated to universal credit.
People claiming other legacy benefits, but not ESA only or ESA plus housing benefit only, will also be selected for the managed migration exercise during 2024. By the end of the 2024/25 tax year, most will have migrated to universal credit.
People claiming ESA only or ESA plus housing benefit (but not tax credits), will be selected for the managed migration exercise slightly later. At one point this was put back to the 2028/29 tax year but DWP have more recently announced they will be start to invite people claiming ESA or ESA plus housing benefit to claim universal credit from September 2024 with the aim of contacting everyone in this group by December 2025. .
Northern Ireland
Starting from April 2023, the Department of Communities started to issue small batches of migration notices to those living in certain areas. The number of notices issued will be gradually increased.
There is some further information on the GOV.UK website.
