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Background

Universal Credit (UC) is a means-tested benefit that was introduced in the UK to replace 6 ‘legacy’ benefits: income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Housing Benefit (HB), Income Support (IS), Working Tax Credit (WTC), and Child Tax Credit (CTC). By 2018, all new customers were required to apply for UC, while existing legacy benefit customers continued receiving their awards.Ìý

The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) strategy for moving these remaining households to UC was set out in the department’s Completing the Move to UC policy document, published in April 2022^{[footnote 1]}.

These households have been invited to move to UC in different phases depending on which legacy benefits they were claiming. Several discovery stages were conducted to understand how the transition to UC worked in practice for different customer groups and to inform future transitions.Ìý

During the programme, the Department has published several insight documents setting out learning to date, as well as qualitative and quantitative research with cohorts invited to move to UC.

Following initial Discovery work with customers invited to move to UC in May 2022, the DWP concentrated on understanding the experiences of the move for households on WTC and CTC, with research published in December 2024.

In September 2023, the DWP conducted additional Discovery work, inviting a small number of households claiming income-related ESA with CTC, income-based JSA, HB, and IS in Harrow, Manchester and Northumbria to move to UC. The first phase of this research focuses on the experiences of this cohort of former legacy benefit customers.ÌýÌý

The DWP began inviting households who were claiming IS to move to UC at scale from April 2024, and HB only from July 2024. The DWP also started inviting a small number of households receiving only income-related ESA or income-related ESA with HB in June 2024, in preparation for future transitions. The second phase of this research focuses on these specific legacy benefit cohorts who were moved onto UC from April 2024 onwards.

Research objectives

The DWP commissioned Ipsos UK to conduct qualitative research to explore participants’ experiences of transitioning from specific legacy benefits to UC. The research aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the legacy benefit customer journey, from the point of being notified of their move to UC through to either making a claim or deciding not to claim.

Fieldwork for the research was paused during the pre-election period from May to July 2024. A decision was made to conduct a second phase of the research and focus on a wider group of benefit cohorts, who had since been invited to move to UC. More detail on this is set out in the next section.

Both phases of the research aimed to give insight into:

• Legacy benefit customers’ knowledge, awareness and understanding of UC and their attitudes towards it, prior to receiving the Migration Notice

• Customers experiences from receiving a Migration Notice onwards, either through making a claim or deciding not to claim

• Why customers decide to make a claim for UC or why they decide not to

• Any barriers to customers successfully making a claim for UC and how these can be addressed through improvements to the process or support offered

• Early customer experiences of the migration process and what further support they may need from the DWP to successfully make a claim for UC

Research methodology

Phase 1 of this research took place between February 19 and April 5, 2024, for single customers and between May 16 and May 21, 2024, for couple customers. Interviews were conducted with 50 legacy benefit customers (income-related ESA with CTC, income-based JSA, IS and HB) from three locations: Harrow, Manchester and Northumbria. Strict quotas were used to ensure sample diversity across a mix of legacy benefits. Soft quotas ensured demographic diversity. Single customers interviewed received the initial Migration Notice between September and October 2023 and couples received an initial Migration Notice in February 2024. Interviews were conducted with single participants and participants in a couple to see if there were any experiences specific to single or couple claims. A small number of couples were interviewed because the fieldwork was paused before quotas had been achieved, due to the pre-election sensitivity period.

Phase 2 of this research took place between November 18 and March 4, 2025. A total of 75 interviews were conducted with a sample of legacy benefit customers (IS, HB only, income-related ESA only or income-related ESA and HB). All of the sample received their initial Migration Notice between June and August 2024. This phase distinguished between UC claimant and non-claimant (participants who had not claimed UC by the time of the interview) groups, and further analysed geographical variation across England, Wales, and Scotland.

The accompanying technical report contains more detailed information about the research methodology.

Key findings

This chapter summarises the key findings of each section in this report.

Awareness, understanding and perceptions of UC prior to claiming

Awareness and understanding of UC

In both phases, participants were aware of and had heard about UC before receiving a Migration Notice. In both phases, they also generally understood that UC was a new benefit that replaced existing legacy benefits. However, participants who were unemployed or had health conditions frequently had lower awareness and understanding of UC in general including what it is, its implications for them, what it involves and the support available, compared to other groups.

In addition, understanding of the specific UC features and rules was low. There were exceptions among participants who were more familiar with the benefits system because they had prior personal experience or had friends and family who were already claiming UC.

Understanding of which benefits UC replaces

Across both phases, understanding of which benefits would be affected or replaced by the migration to UC caused some confusion, despite the Migration Notice containing a list of the benefits that were being replaced by UC.

While confusion around Carers Allowance (CA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were resolved once participants had started to receive their UC payments, uncertainty around contribution-based ESA and Council Tax Reduction (CTR) schemes sometimes persisted.

Transitional Protection

Across both phases, awareness and understanding of Transitional Protection was low and generally participants either said they had not heard of it, or they did not know what it was. Participants in phase 2 also said they would like to have had more information on whether Transitional Protection had an end point and, if so, when that would be.

Perceptions of UC prior to claiming

In both phases, participants perceptions of UC prior to making a claim were informed by word of mouth, the media, official sources and third party organisations.

Word of mouth and the media

Participants who had heard about UC in the news felt neutral or negatively towards UC, depending on the content of the article they had seen. Those who read about payment gaps in the news were concerned that this would happen to their UC claim. Others had negative perceptions in cases where their friends and family experienced difficulties claiming and managing their UC claims. There were exceptions among participants in phase 1 who had heard positive stories from friends, who reassured them and gave advice about moving to UC.

Sources of information on UC

Across both phases, participants typically used official sources and third party organisations (e.g. ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº, Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice) for advice and information about UC, and making a claim, to understand what UC was, how it would affect them and what they needed to do to make a claim. Across both phases, third party organisations’ individual advisors’ level of understanding and experience of UC affected the quality of advice and support they gave participants.

Reactions to the Migration Notice

The Migration Notice informs legacy benefit customers that they need to claim UC by a specified date, usually three months from the date of the letter, to keep receiving financial support. It covers essential information about the move to UC. An example of a Migration Notice sent to a customer is provided in the annex of this report.

Emotional reactions to the Migration Notice

In both phases, the Migration Notice triggered a negative emotional response amongst participants with prior negative perceptions of UC.

Perceptions of the financial implications of being on UC

Those participants whose perceptions of UC were shaped through the media, social media or the experiences of friends or family rather than trusted official sources or third party organisations were more likely to have mixed views on the potential financial impact of the migration to UC. In general, their impressions were that they would likely be worse off on UC, both financially and practically, due to how claims worked, and conditionality.

There were also some cases of participants being concerned around gaps in payments due to information gained through word of mouth and on the news. This meant that some did not claim UC immediately so they could prepare for the transition first.

Across both phases, participants expressed concerns about the amount of money they would receive on UC and their ability to transition from fortnightly legacy benefit payments to monthly payments once claiming UC. Participants were concerned about shifting Direct Debits to their new UC payment dates as they were previously linked to their legacy benefit payment dates. Participants also felt anxious about being able to manage their money over an entire month without running out towards the end.

HB customers who were already responsible for paying their rent to their landlord did not view moving to UC as a major change to their financial management. However, participants who were claiming multiple legacy benefits and those who were not used to handling rent payments themselves often reported being anxious about the financial impact of migration and how well they would cope with it.

Content and timing of the Migration Notice

Across both phases, participants agreed that the Migration Notice clearly communicated the action they had to take and when. During the interviews in both phases, participants had strong recall of key information in the Migration Notice, such as their migration deadline date, despite receiving it at least three months before the time of interview.

The timing of receiving the Migration Notice affected whether participants wanted to act immediately and move to UC, or purposely delayed making their claim. There were cases across both phases where participants delayed making a claim to ensure they had guaranteed income over Christmas and there were other participants who noted the migration deadline and decided to delay their application until the last moment.

Across both phases, there were also cases where participants with physical and mental health conditions had a particularly negative emotional response to the Migration Notice and so they put it aside and said they wanted to forget about it. They were anxious about the move to UC and did not want to go through the process. These participants understood they would have to move but required extra support and hoped to receive a phone call from the DWP to help them with the process.

Support organisations

Participants who had relationships with support organisations (e.g. Citizens Advice, Disability Rights UK), or specific support workers (Housing Officers and mental health support workers) tended to approach them for advice and guidance about UC. This included asking for help to understand what was happening, what they needed to do, what impact migration might have on their money, and what practical support was available to help them make a UC claim.

Across both phases, it was generally found that HB customers did not have much contact with their local authority about the migration to UC and typically they were surprised to find out that HB was being replaced.

There were examples of participants who had a strong relationship with their Housing Office and sought specific support from them, and others who were anxious about what the move to UC might mean for them or who felt ill equipped to handle the migration process themselves.

Impact of reminders

A reminder is sent to a legacy benefit customer if the system has not registered their UC claim. The first reminder is a letter sent in week 7 of the process. If the UC claim is not made after the first reminder, then a second reminder is sent in week 10 of the process. The second reminder is in the form of a SMS text message.

Across both phases, the reminder letter prompted participants who had not yet acted to take the next steps in their UC application. Participants who received a reminder letter appreciated it because they had either forgotten to claim UC, had not made time to act, or had put off moving to UC because they were worried about the process.

However, there were examples of participants with mental health conditions or caring responsibilities who found the urgency of the reminder letters distressing. The reminder letter was ignored by participants who had decided that they would hold off claiming until the migration deadline or a more convenient time for them to claim.

Reasons for claiming UC or not

Reasons for claiming UC (claimants)

Overall, participants viewed their benefits as indispensable income. They therefore saw the migration to UC as a continuation of their legacy benefit claims and their decision to claim felt both inevitable and essential. Generally, these participants said that they did not see any alternatives to claiming UC as they felt they were unable to work, or work more, often due to low confidence around entering the labour market, ill health, disability or caring responsibilities.

Reasons for not claiming (non-claimants)

Participants who had not made a claim by the time of the research typically intended to claim, but had specific reasons for not claiming UC, and some faced several practical barriers which resulted in them not being able to claim by the time of their interview.

Reasons related to eligibility

Migration Notices are issued based on the information held about the claimant’s circumstances at the time of sending. Where these circumstances are not up to date in the information held, a small number of HB only claimants in temporary or supported accommodation may have received a Migration Notice in error. A cancellation was available in these circumstances.

In this research, there were HB customer participants living in temporary housing who, when they tried to claim UC, were told that they were not able to. In these instances, their HB claim continued. Typically, these participants were able to get advice about the notice and took no further action, for example, as reported by those who were already claiming UC for out of work benefits. Others recalled being told by their Housing Officer or local authority (3 or 4 years ago) that they would be automatically moved to UC from HB. When they received reminders to claim they followed the instructions and attempted to make a claim but were not able to proceed once they selected their housing type.

Specific reasons for customers with caring responsibilities

Participants also reported issues with being able to apply online or over the phone due to their caring responsibilities. They reported finding the request to move to UC overwhelming, especially when managing claims for their household where family members were unable to help due to health conditions or disabilities.

Practical Challenges

There were also cases where participants had struggled to finalise their claim so ended up not finishing making their UC claim. These participants reported that they faced practical difficulties in finalising claims, such as sourcing the required information like payslips or visiting Jobcentre Plus with relevant evidence to support their claim. In particular, these non-claimant participants reported frustration with the Jobcentre Plus booking system. For participants with busy schedules and commitments, particularly HB and IS customers who often had caring responsibilities and/or were in employment, it was difficult to be flexible and to attend these appointments, and they reported it was a challenge to have the appointments changed.

Experiences of making a UC claim

Experiences of the Enhanced Support Journey

The enhanced support journey is a non-linear UC claim support process provided by DWP for IS and income-related ESA customers who have not made a claim for UC 11 weeks after receiving their Migration Notice. The enhanced support journey starts in week 12, before the deadline date. It involves different interventions ranging from outbound calls, system checks, home visits and contact with support organisations in the local community. There were participants in this research who had received outbound calls from the DWP as part of this support process.Ìý

Overall, participants who had received a call from the DWP found the support they were offered helpful. Participants used the opportunity to ask questions about the process, asking advisors for clarifications about their benefits and any changes in payments that could occur as a result of claiming UC.

There were cases where participants requested an extension to their migration deadline on these calls and appreciated the flexibility offered. The extensions were particularly important for participants who needed additional time to claim UC due to personal circumstances such as caring responsibilities or health issues.

Experiences of online claims

In both phases, participants who were digitally confident largely reported no issues with claiming online, although felt it was time consuming due to the volume of information and documentation required. On the other hand, participants who reported lower digital confidence found claiming UC online more challenging.

Participants in phase 2 who considered themselves less digitally confident often relied on support to complete the application. It was common for these participants to attempt to claim online and to call the Migration Notice helpline after encountering an issue, or to sometimes call without attempting at all. When calling, participants were often told by helpline agents to persevere with the online application which they found stressful and so they sought support elsewhere, such as Citizen’s Advice or friends and family.

Experiences of phone claims

Participants in both phases were asked about their experiences of claiming UC over the phone. Participants who were not digitally confident found the telephony helpline helpful in providing information and support to claim. In particular, those who had started the online application but struggled to complete it called the Migration Notice helpline number and were happy to be able to complete the application that way. Participants found it useful that completing the claim on the phone meant they could ask question about the information they needed to claim to ensure this was correct.

At phase 2, there were cases where participants reported facing certain challenges with trying to claim on the phone. They reported that the DWP telephony lines were often busy, and it could be difficult to get through to an agent on first attempt. Further, at phase 2, participants who did get through to a telephony agent reported that they were often first pushed to keep trying to use the online system rather than being supported to claim on the phone.

Experiences for Housing Benefit Customers

Phase 2 included HB customers who were not always aware that their UC award would be based on the rent figure in their tenancy agreement, which was sometimes out of date, rather than the current rent figure they provided in the UC claim. They were not aware that having the incorrect figure in the tenancy agreement would be a problem until after they submitted their UC claim. In some cases, the issue was raised by the DWP via the journal or on the phone whilst processing the claim, and participants were able to get a renewed tenancy agreement, but others said they were not told of the issue and only realised when their first payment came through and was much lower than expected.

Experiences after submitting a UC claim

ID Verification and face-to-face meetings at the Jobcentre Plus

As outlined in Figure 2, customers claiming UC are required to verify their ID. They can do this by going into the Jobcentre to have a face-to-face appointment or attending an online ID appointment if they are eligible and have biometric ID.

Participants who were able to verify their ID online reported that the process was easy and straightforward. However, in-person meetings at Jobcentre Plus to verify ID presented considerable challenges to many participants with a physical or mental health condition or a disability, who said that they felt unable to cope with the journey, or with being in the Jobcentre Plus environment. For participants with physical disabilities, these barriers included a lack of available nearby parking and a lack of suitable seating in their local Jobcentre Plus.