The six locations where benefits could be STOPPED in major Universal Credit shake up | The Sun
MILLIONS of people are set to be affected by a huge benefits shake-up.
The government is currently moving those on so-called "legacy benefits" such as tax credits onto Universal Credit.
It is estimated around 2.6million people are still on these old-style benefits, but the government plans to move all claimants onto Universal Credit by the end of 2024.
The move, called Managed Migration, began in May and came after a successful pilot in Harrogate in July 2019.
People affected by the shift will be sent a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions, which will guide them on what to do to retain financial support.
Around 500 people in Medway and Bolton have already been sent letters, followed by households in Truro, Falmouth and Harrow in West London.
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Now, the government's announced claimants in Northumberland will be sent letters from September 12.
Up to 250 people will start to receive the Migration Notice letters from this date.
Not all legacy benefit claimants will receive a letter though.
But the 250 who do will be told in the letter the exact date they need to claim Universal Credit by.
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There will be other instructions for them to follow on the letter and a dedicated helpline for people to call to get help.
If they don't want to call the helpline, they can visit their nearest jobcentre.
If you don't know where yours is, you can find it by using this online tool.
There are currently 24,000 Universal Credit claimants living in Northumberland.
The six legacy benefits being replaced by Universal Credit are:
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income Support
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Housing Benefit
Will I be better off on Universal Credit?
Around 1.4million on benefits could be better off now by moving on to Universal Credit, to the tune of £220 a month on average.
But make sure you'll be better off after making the shift, as you can't move back after.
If you want to work out whether you'll be better off by moving across to Universal Credit, there are free online calculators that can help you to do so.
You can find them from charities such as Turn2Us, EntitledTo and also Martin Lewis' MoneySavingExpert.
According to MSE's calculator, you could be worse off on Universal Credit if any of the following apply to you:
- You're a lone parent who works but doesn't pay rent
- You have a disability and you're in work, but you don't pay rent
- You're a self-employed worker earning less than the minimum income floor
- You have savings over £16,000
Mr Lewis has previously predicted out of the 2.6million on old legacy benefits which are being transferred across to Universal Credit, around 35% could be worse off.
Citizens Advice also has a Help to Claim service to support Universal Credit claims.
When you'll be invited to move your old legacy benefits across will depend on where you live, but more are expected to follow.
If you think you'll be better off you can start making a Universal Credit claim and your old benefits will end.
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You will have a wait for your first Universal Credit payment, which could be up to five weeks and could leave you short.
You can get an advance, which is interest-free, but you'll pay this back in instalments from future payments which will reduce how much you get each month.
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