The DWP is warning anyone who receives a particular letter in the coming months to 'act without delay' as it ramps up its Universal Credit migration process.
The government has announced that an extra £15 million will be put into the Help to Claim initiative, which helps benefit claimants with their move from old-style legacy benefits to Universal Credit.
Hundreds of thousands of people on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will be sent letters telling them they must move to the new benefits system or risk losing their payments entirely.
READ MORE: HMRC issues apology to customers as it closes phone lines over 'technical issue'
It comes after the government announced during the chancellor's Autumn Budget that the DWP would bring forward the migration date for ESA claimants from 2028 to September this year. The DWP said it aims to have all ESA claimants moved over to Universal Credit by March 2026.
Letters, known as 'migration notices' will be sent to all ESA claimants stating the deadline they need to make a new Universal Credit claim by. The DWP is urging anyone who gets one of these letters to act "without delay" to ensure they keep receiving their benefits.
The Help to Claim scheme, a partnership between the DWP and Citizens Advice, has supported over one million people making a claim to Universal Credit since the programme launched in 2019, according to the government.
DWP minister Sir Stephen Timms said: "This funding boost will support many people as they make the move from old benefits to Universal Credit – ensuring customers feel confident and informed throughout the application process.
"I want to encourage anyone receiving a migration notice over the coming months to act without delay to secure quick access to benefit entitlement."
The DWP said more than 60,000 migration notices will be issued each month from February 2025 to the end of the year.
The government said the acceleration of the migration process will "bring more people into a modern benefit regime" so that they are supported "to look for and move into work". It comes as the government plans to release the Get Britain Working White Paper later this Autumn.
Help to Claim’s trained advisers provide help and support to anyone making a new Universal Credit claim, including people moving from a legacy benefit, and offer support up to their first correct payment. The advisers offer guidance on how Universal Credit works, how much you will get, collecting relevant evidence, and helping people complete the application.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: "Over the last five years our specially trained advisers have supported thousands of people across Britain to navigate the move from old benefits to Universal Credit. We make our service as accessible as possible, offering phone, chat and British Sign Language options, so we’re there for people as they move over.
"This funding boost is credit to the vital support our advisers provide and means we’ll be able to help even more people make their first application."
