Managed migration 2

Earlier this month the DWP published a report and statistics on its progress since scaling managed migration (the process by which people move to universal credit from legacy benefits) to single people who are only claiming tax credits. The report concluded that ‘the majority of the tax credit population thus far have been able to successfully make the transition to UC with minimal support’. However, the accompanying statistics reveal that only two-thirds of people sent a migration notice between November 2022 and March 2023 made a successful UC claim before their migration deadline. A further 5 per cent made a claim after their deadline had passed. And 28 per cent did not claim UC at all and had their legacy benefit payments terminated. We are concerned that a sizeable minority of claimants are falling through the gaps.

Our research sheds some light on why this might be, and makes recommendations on what the DWP can do to ensure that everyone who is sent a migration notice understands the implications of the letter and can make and manage a UC claim.