ESA-UC migration time-frame

HillStreetBlues

Just been reading https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/money/new-dwp-legacy-benefits-update-35138756
The final migration notices have been brought forward from December to September.

TimeLord1

Yes, it seems the aim is to finish it this year because also the non-uptake has been fairly high, so a method in the madness also. 💷 I think many will be just glad to get on with it. It's been lingering on for far to many years now.

8dayweek

Do you have a link to anything about the uptake to UC @TimeLord1? My understanding is although there was quite a few who chose NOT to transfer from Tax Credits, that for legacy benefits the transfer rate is really high. 

TimeLord1

Yes, that seems to be the case and has pushed the estimated process forward.  But with legacy people have no real choice. It's the help also that is missing for people unable to complete the process.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/move-to-universal-credit-july-2022-to-end-december-2024/completing-the-move-to-universal-credit-statistics-related-to-the-move-of-households-claiming-tax-credits-and-dwp-benefits-to-universal-credit-data#:~:text=amongst households sent a migration,a claim and their legacy

huckster

As it can take many weeks for advice services such as Citizens Advice to book in help to claim appointments, the key to migration must be for those needing help to reach out for help as quickly as possible after receiving migration letters. 

8dayweek

TimeLord1 said:

Yes, that seems to be the case and has pushed the estimated process forward.  But with legacy people have no real choice. It's the help also that is missing for people unable to complete the process.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/move-to-universal-credit-july-2022-to-end-december-2024/completing-the-move-to-universal-credit-statistics-related-to-the-move-of-households-claiming-tax-credits-and-dwp-benefits-to-universal-credit-data#:~:text=amongst households sent a migration,a claim and their legacy

Thank you! I had already read that - but I’d actually forgotten as it was the prior report (mostly using Tax Credit data) that had stuck in my head. 

TimeLord1

8dayweek said:

TimeLord1 said:

Yes, that seems to be the case and has pushed the estimated process forward.  But with legacy people have no real choice. It's the help also that is missing for people unable to complete the process.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/move-to-universal-credit-july-2022-to-end-december-2024/completing-the-move-to-universal-credit-statistics-related-to-the-move-of-households-claiming-tax-credits-and-dwp-benefits-to-universal-credit-data#:~:text=amongst households sent a migration,a claim and their legacy

Thank you! I had already read that - but I’d actually forgotten as it was the prior report (mostly using Tax Credit data) that had stuck in my head. 

I guess the new statistics will be generated soon, so that will see a big difference in uptake. If legacy ESA contribution lasts in the future, we will see if they move everything into New Style ESA, which is probably going to become a plan to maintain online.

huckster

By the end of 2025, there should be no live legacy ESA claims remaining. Or very few if extended time has been allowed. 

Difficult to measure, but I would think that the percentage of legacy ESA claims being converted to New Style ESA claims would be about 10% of the total claims being migrated. These will be people who had a contributions entitlement through previous employment when originally claiming legacy ESA and this underlying contributions entitlement has been carried forward. 

And there are quite a lot of people still making New Style ESA claims in addition to migrated cases. So it will be interesting whether DWP decide to develop an online claim version  of New Style ESA  ( and for New Style JSA) similar to Universal Credit, so they can close down older benefit IT systems.

KxMx

There were also special youth rules for claiming the old Incapacity Benefit (no work NI contributions needed). 

With the change to ESA this converted into CB ESA with an IR top up if applicable.

So that now changes into New Style ESA & UC.

There were also for a time the same youth rules for CB ESA. 

M25

I had my migration notice the 14th of last month and applied immediately I thought it was better to get it out the way.

No problems at all. The only thing odd is I got a 'your Income Related ESA' is ending letter a week later and realised I may of been on contributions ESA (I moved to ESA from Incapacity Benefit). This was confirmed when I also received a reissued Council Tax bill with the breakdown. I have NEVER had that level of breakdown from CT where they actually mention "Contributions based ESA". It's always said just ESA.

Yet, 3 weeks later I've not heard anything about the new type of ESA (very odd they didn't mention it in the IR ESA goodbye letter). I assume it's not paid with UC so I would of thought I'd of heard something by now.

I remember UC was supposed to be simpler by reducing types of benefits but if I'm now to be paid once a month for UC and every 2 weeks for ESA that doesn't sound simplfied to me.

All feels like a roll of the dice to my finances over the next few weeks

huckster

@M25

It does take awhile before your local Job Centre contact will contact you about New Style ESA continuing to process ESA payments and to discuss New Style ESA claimant commitment.

The reason DWP are doing this is that they cannot just cancel any rights people might have to the contributions based ESA benefit. As a claimant of course you could decide that you prefer to have only UC and you can call ESA to ask to close the ESA claim.