The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has ceased benefit payments for more than 23,000 Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants who did not respond to managed migration notices. This move is part of the ongoing transition from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.
Managed Migration Caseload Figures
The latest Managed Migration caseload figures reveal that approximately 22,600 ESA claimants failed to act on their migration notices, resulting in the closure of their legacy benefits. Under the managed migration system, legacy benefits such as ESA are being phased out, with claimants moved to Universal Credit—a single monthly payment for working-age individuals that replaces Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related ESA, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit, and Working Tax Credit.
Timeline of Migration
The DWP has accelerated the migration of around 800,000 claimants of income-related ESA or income-related ESA with Housing Benefit, originally scheduled for 2028/29. Migration notices began in September 2024, with the goal of notifying all claimants in this group by December 2025. The DWP planned to complete the Universal Credit rollout and close all legacy benefits by March 2026.
However, the process has not been without controversy. The DWP figures show that over 22,600 claimants did not respond to their migration notices, leading to the termination of their legacy benefits. A managed migration notice is titled "Universal Credit Migration Notice" and includes a specific deadline for moving to Universal Credit, typically mentioned twice in the letter. A footnote states: "This is a migration notice issued under Regulation 44 of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014." Claimants have three months from receiving the notice to migrate under DWP rules.
