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More benefits claimants to move to Universal Credit

PA Media Sign outside benefits office in Belfast. The sign says Jobs & Benefits in white, with a blue and purple background. It also has the department for communities sign on the right hand side. PA Media
The Department for Communities (DfC) has issued letters to those affected

People who receive certain benefits and tax credits from income support are starting to be moved to Universal Credit (UC).

UC is a single benefit payment for working-age people, which is replacing a range of different benefits in an attempt to make the system simpler.

The Department for Communities (DfC) has issued letters asking people receiving income support to make a UC claim.

They will have three months from the date of the letter to make the claim or lose out.

Who will the change apply to?

Universal Credit has been in place in Northern Ireland for new claimants since September 2017.

In October 2023 it was rolled out further, replacing six types of benefits.

The next phase will apply to people who receive other so-called legacy benefits.

The scheduled dates for the switch from the remaining legacy benefits are:

  • Income Support - February
  • Housing Benefit (rental) - March
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance - April
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance - May

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons encouraged those who received a letter to take action and said his department was "available to provide help through a dedicated telephony team and face-to-face support at local Jobs and Benefits offices".

People do not need to take any action unless they have received a migration notice letter from the department.