Universal Credit deadline extended for certain benefit claimants

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1 Apr 2026 • 4:22 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has extended the deadline for migrating certain legacy benefit claimants onto Universal Credit (UC).
  • The closure of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Housing Benefit, as part of the move to UC, has been postponed until the end of summer to assist vulnerable claimants.
  • This extension aims to provide additional support for 'hard-to-reach' customers or those with significant barriers to claiming UC.
  • Over 1.9 million people have already been successfully moved to UC, including 135,000 income support and income-related jobseeker’s allowance claimants.
  • The Public Accounts Committee previously warned that failures in the migration process could lead to 'real-world misery for thousands' of claimants.

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