People on ESA being told to switch to universal credit

Households claiming income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) are being urged to switch to universal credit.

The government is moving people on to universal credit and phasing out so-called legacy benefits, including income-related ESA.

People currently claiming this benefit are now being contacted by post to tell them to switch.

If you receive this migration letter, you’ll have up to three months to move to universal credit.

Otherwise, your existing benefits will stop.

400,000 claimants still to make the switch

So far, 200,000 people claiming ESA have successfully moved over to universal credit.

But about 400,000 people still haven’t made the transition.

According to the Sun, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is now increasing the number of migration notices sent each month to 83,000.

The DWP is hoping to have contacted all ESA claimants who haven’t switched to universal credit by September this year.

That will give them six months to transition ahead of the March 2026 deadline.

Which legacy benefits are being replaced by universal credit?

Six legacy benefits are gradually being phased out:

• income-related ESA
• income-based jobseeker’s allowance
• housing benefit
• child tax credit
• working tax credit
• income support

Other benefits, including personal independence payment, aren’t affected by the changes. 

You can’t make a new claim for any legacy benefits. 

But if you’re still claiming any of the six benefits mentioned, you can stay on them until the DWP tells you otherwise.