Universal Credit if you’re a ‘mixed age couple’ and get Migration Notice letters
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-25)

If you’re in a couple where one of you is State Pension age, and you get a Migration Notice, you both need to move to Universal Credit as your benefits have ended or will end soon.

Only read this guidance if you’re in a couple where one of you is State Pension age and you get Migration Notice letters

To continue getting financial support, you must claim Universal Credit by the deadline date in your letter.

If you have not received a Migration Notice letter visit the Universal Credit (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit) guidance.

If you’re in a couple and one person is over State Pension age, you’re known as a ‘mixed age’ couple. State Pension age is 66 for both men and women.

If you’re not in a mixed age couple and receive a Migration Notice letter

There are different eligibility rules and guidance if you get a Migration Notice letter and you’re:

State Pension age, or in a couple who are both State Pension age (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-if-youre-state-pension-age-and-get-a-migration-notice-letter)

under State Pension age, or in a couple who are both under State Pension age (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tax-credits-and-some-benefits-are-ending-move-to-universal-credit)

Benefits that have ended or are ending

Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit (known as ‘tax credits’) have ended.

The following benefits are ending and are being replaced by Universal Credit:
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing Benefit, apart from in certain circumstances (#you-may-be-eligible-for-housing-benefit)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Other benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), will stay the same.

Your benefits will end even if you decide not to claim Universal Credit.

When you need to apply

To continue receiving financial support you must claim Universal Credit by your deadline date.

If you cannot claim by the deadline date on your letter, contact the Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline (#support).

You may be able to get more time to make a claim if you have a good reason. You must request this before the deadline date on your letter.

Someone helping with your claim

To find out how a representative or appointee acting on your behalf can help you, visit Universal Credit consent and disclosure of information (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-consent-and-disclosure-of-information).

If you have an appointee who is responsible for making and maintaining your benefit claims, your Migration Notice letter will be sent directly to them. They will need to make the Universal Credit claim for you.

Moving from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

If you’ve been receiving ESA, you will not need to provide medical evidence such as fit notes, or have a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) if all the following apply:

you move from ESA to Universal Credit without a break

you’ve already completed a WCA

you were in the ‘support group’ or ‘work-related activity’ group in ESA when you made your claim to Universal Credit

You may need to have another assessment if your WCA is due for a review or your condition changes.

If you were providing medical evidence on ESA before you moved, you will still need to provide medical evidence on Universal Credit until you get a WCA decision.

Find out more about health conditions, disability and Universal Credit (https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-disability-universal-credit).

Eligibility

You can claim Universal Credit even if you are working or have a pension to help with living costs.

As you’ve received a Migration Notice letter some of the normal eligibility rules for claiming are different. This is part of ‘transitional protection’ (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transitional-protection-if-you-receive-a-migration-notice-letter).

To get transitional protection you must claim by your deadline date.

You will not get transitional protection if you claim before you get a Migration Notice letter.

If you’re a student

You can claim Universal Credit if you or your partner are in full-time advanced education (such as university) for the duration of your course. Find out more about Universal Credit and students (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-and-students).

If you were getting tax credits

If you received a Migration Notice letter and made a claim with money, savings and investments of more than £16,000, you will not be eligible for Universal Credit if you still have more than £16,000 in money, savings and investments (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-money-savings-and-investments) after 12 assessment periods (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-youre-paid). Each assessment period is a month.

You may be eligible for Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit will be ending, apart from in the following circumstances:
- you’re in supported or temporary accommodation (#youre-in-supported-or-temporary-accommodation) – your Housing Benefit will continue and will not end
- you’ve received Housing Benefit as a mixed age couple since 14 May 2019 (#youve-received-housing-benefit-as-a-mixed-age-couple-since-14-may-2019) – you could be eligible to reclaim it
You’re in supported or temporary accommodation

If you live in supported or temporary accommodation, your Housing Benefit will continue to be paid by your local council.

If you decide not to claim Universal Credit, you’ll continue to get Housing Benefit. However, your other benefits will end.

As you’re getting Housing Benefit, you cannot get the extra amount of Universal Credit to help with housing costs.

If you get Housing Benefit and you’re not sure if you live in supported or temporary accommodation, speak to your local council (https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council).

You’ve received Housing Benefit as a mixed age couple since 14 May 2019

Your Housing Benefit will be ending 2 weeks after your deadline date.

However, you could be eligible to reclaim Housing Benefit within 3 months if you’ve received it as a mixed age couple continuously since 14 May 2019 and:

your Housing Benefit is stopped and you do not claim Universal Credit

you claim before your deadline date but are not entitled to Universal Credit

you stop receiving Universal Credit

You can get advice from your local council (https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council) about backdating your Housing Benefit claim. Your claim can only be backdated for up to 3 months.

Find out more about Housing Benefit eligibility (https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit).

If you do not reclaim Housing Benefit, you may be eligible for housing support to be added to your Universal Credit.

What you’ll get

On Universal Credit, most people will be entitled to the same amount they received from their previous benefits, or more.

Your Universal Credit payment is made up of a standard allowance and any extra amounts that apply to you, for example if you:

have children

need help paying your rent

have a disability or health condition which prevents you from working

Find out more about what you’ll get (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/what-youll-get).

State Pension age and have a disability or health condition

If you have a disability or health condition which means you get a disability benefit, you may be entitled to an extra amount of Universal Credit. You will not need to provide a fit note or have a Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

If you do not get a disability benefit, you will need to provide a fit note or have a WCA to be entitled to an extra amount of Universal Credit.

Transitional protection top up payments

If the amount you’re entitled to on your existing or previous benefits is more than you’ll get on Universal Credit, a top up is available.

You do not need to apply for transitional protection. It will be paid to you automatically if you get a Migration Notice letter and make a Universal Credit claim by your deadline date.

Benefits calculators

You can use an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator to estimate how much you could get on Universal Credit.

Benefit calculators give estimates so may not be accurate.

The entitledto (https://www.entitledto.co.uk/?utm_source=BAdviser&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=GovUK) and the Policy in Practice Better Off (https://www.betteroffcalculator.co.uk/login) calculators:
- calculate transitional protection (top up payments) available
- take into account if you’re State Pension age
Calculations do not include any deductions that may be taken from your Universal Credit amount.

DWP is not responsible for information given by the calculators.

How Universal Credit is worked out

Your Universal Credit amount is calculated based on your circumstances each month. These are called your ‘assessment periods (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-youre-paid)’. This is different to tax credits which were calculated yearly.

Changes in your circumstances can affect how much you’re paid for the whole assessment period – not just from the date you report them.

Circumstances that could affect the amount you could get include:

changes before you apply for Universal Credit

changes after you’ve made your claim

the information we have is different from what we know from your previous benefit

How much you can get will depend on your partner’s circumstances, as well as your own.

Earnings

How much Universal Credit you get will depend on your earnings (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-and-earnings). This includes income from:

full time work

part time work

employed or self-employed (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-self-employment-quick-guide) work

pensions (#if-youre-claiming-a-pension)

The way Universal Credit is worked out is different to how tax credits were.

Find out how your wages affect your payments (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-your-wages-affect-your-payments).

Deductions

Money can be taken from your Universal Credit payments to pay for things like:

child maintenance

court fines

rent arrears

overpayments or arrears from tax credits, Council Tax, Housing Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

utility debts, like electricity, gas and water

Money cannot be deducted from things like your child allowance, childcare, and housing costs.

Find out more about money taken off your Universal Credit payment (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-out-about-money-taken-off-your-universal-credit-payment).

Deductions from current benefits

When your current benefit payments stop, any deductions made from them for things such as utility bills, will also stop. These deductions will not automatically transfer to your Universal Credit claim.

If you want the same deductions taken from your Universal Credit payment, contact your supplier.

If you’re claiming a pension

You can still claim Universal Credit if you’re accessing your pension. However, the amount of pension you receive will be deducted from your Universal Credit amount and treated as income.

If you have delayed (‘deferred’) your State Pension

If you had delayed taking your pension before you received your Migration Notice, we will not treat your deferred pension as income for 12 assessment periods.

If you then decide to take your pension within this period, it is treated as income.

After 12 assessment periods, the amount of pension you’re entitled to is counted as income, even if you’ve decided not to take it. This is known as ‘notional’ income. This can affect how much Universal Credit you get.

Once you move to Universal Credit, you will not be able to continue building up any:

extra State Pension

State Pension lump sum (if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016)

Read more about delaying your State Pension (https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension).

Claiming after your deadline

If you choose not to claim Universal Credit now, your existing benefits will still end. You can claim Universal Credit later, but normal Universal Credit eligibility rules will apply, for example you will not be entitled to transitional protection.

How to claim Universal Credit

You can apply for Universal Credit online. If you live in Wales, you can also claim in Welsh.

You need to create an account to make a claim. You must complete your claim within 28 days of creating your account or you’ll have to start again.

When you or your partner make a claim to Universal Credit your benefits that are being replaced by Universal Credit will stop. You cannot go back to those benefits, because they are ending.

If you cannot apply online, you can claim by phone. Call the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline (#support).

Couples who live together

Universal Credit counts 2 people as being a couple if they live in the same household and are:

married to each other

civil partners of each other

living together as if they’re married

If you live with your partner you must make a joint claim, even if your partner is not eligible for Universal Credit. You cannot claim by yourself.

You must both create Universal Credit online accounts. The first person to create their account will receive a partner linking code. You need to give this code to your partner to use when they create their online account. This links the accounts together to make your joint account.

Once you’ve created your account you can make a claim for Universal Credit.

Couples who live apart

If you’re in a couple who live apart and you both get Migration Notices, you’ll each need to make separate single claims.

You can still claim if you’re a full-time student.

You will not be eligible for the transitional protection top-up payment (#transitional-protection-top-up-payments).

What you’ll need to apply

To apply online you’ll need:

your bank, building society or credit union account details

an email address

access to a phone

To prove your identity, you’ll need some documents such as your:

driving licence

passport

debit or credit card

payslip or P60

Proving your identity online (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-verify-your-identity-for-universal-credit#online-identity-verification) is a secure way to confirm your identity. You must prove your identity before you can complete the rest of your Universal Credit claim.

To complete your claim you’ll need to provide information about:

your housing, for example how much rent you pay

your earnings, for example payslips

any disability or health condition that affects your work

how much you pay for childcare if you want help with childcare costs

your savings and any investments, like shares or a property that you rent out

You will not need to provide a fit note or have a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) If you are State Pension age and you already get a disability benefit.

You might need an appointment with the Universal Credit team if:

they need more information

you cannot verify your identity online

You’ll be told if this appointment will be in a jobcentre or on the phone.

Apply for Universal Credit online

Steps to getting Universal Credit

One of you sets up an online Universal Credit account. Make a note of your ‘partner code’. You’ll need to give this to your partner.

The other partner will need to set up their online account and use that partner code to link the accounts together. This ensures you’re correctly claiming as a couple.

Once you’ve both created your accounts, you can complete and submit your online claims.

Prove your identities.

Provide documents and evidence to support your claim.

Agree the activities in each of your claimant commitments (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/your-claimant-commitment).

When you prove your identity we will know you have received a Migration Notice letter and your information will be linked up automatically.

Start now (https://www.universal-credit.service.gov.uk/start)

If you need help to make your claim you can get free support from the Citizens Advice Help to Claim service:
- Get Help to Claim if you live in England or Wales (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/contact-us-about-universal-credit/)
- Get Help to Claim if you live in Scotland (https://www.cas.org.uk/get-advice/help-claim)
How you’re paid

Universal Credit is paid once a month, usually into your bank, building society or credit union account.

If you’re not able to open a bank, building society or credit union account, call the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline (#support) for advice about how to arrange a different way of getting paid.

Your payment can include an amount for housing costs, which you’ll usually need to pay to your landlord. If your landlord was being paid your housing costs directly, you’ll need to discuss the change of payment arrangements with them.

Final payments for existing benefits

The date of your final payments from your existing benefits depends on whichever is first:

the deadline date on your letter

when you make a claim to Universal Credit

If any further payments are due, they will be made shortly after your entitlement ends.

If you’ve applied for Universal Credit, you’ll keep getting your current benefit paid for 2 more weeks. You must still be eligible for your current benefit. You will not need to pay back these extra payments and they will not affect the Universal Credit you might get.

If you do not make a claim to Universal Credit by the deadline, your last day of entitlement to your existing benefits will be 2 weeks after the deadline.

Help while waiting for your first payment

Your claim starts on the day you submit it in your account, however it usually takes around 5 weeks to get your first payment.

If you need help with your living costs while you wait for your first payment, you can apply for an advance within your Universal Credit online account (https://www.gov.uk/sign-in-universal-credit).

You’ll need to pay back your advance in instalments from your future Universal Credit payments.

Find out more about how you’re paid (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-youre-paid) including payment dates, if you live with a partner, and alternative payment arrangements.

Your responsibilities

Your responsibilities will depend on your circumstances.

When you have made your claim to Universal Credit you’ll need to manage your own finances and maintain your claim. This includes:

updating your account

attending jobcentre appointments, if appropriate

managing your own rent and other housing costs, unless you have another payment arrangement in place

reporting changes in circumstances

if you’re self-employed, you’ll need to report your earnings every month

To get Universal Credit payments, you’ll need to accept an agreement called a ‘claimant commitment’. Find out more about claimant commitments (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/your-claimant-commitment).

Changes in circumstances you must tell us about

You need to report changes to your circumstances so you keep getting the right amount each month.

Changes can include:
- changing your bank details
- changes to work and money, such as earnings, pension income, jobs, rent and savings
- change to your health
- household changes, including children, care, partner and immigration status
Find out more about changes in circumstances you must tell us about (https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/changes-of-circumstances).

You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you deliberately give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.

Claiming Pension Credit instead of Universal Credit

You could choose to claim Pension Credit instead of Universal Credit if you’ve been getting Housing Benefit as a mixed age couple continuously since 14 May 2019.

If you claim Pension Credit instead, you will not get Pension Credit or Universal Credit transitional protection. This could mean you receive less financial support.

If you then decide to withdraw your claim for Pension Credit and apply for Universal Credit by your deadline date, you’ll still be eligible for transitional protection.

Find out more about Pension Credit (https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit).

Support

Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Phone: xx-xxxx-xxxx

0800 phone numbers are free to call from mobiles and landlines.

If you cannot speak or hear on the phone

Use our Relay UK (https://www.relayuk.bt.com/) service to make a free, text-supported call to the Universal Credit Migration Notice Helpline. Dial 18001 followed by xx-xxxx-xxxx.

If you use British Sign Language (BSL)

Use our video relay service to make a BSL interpreted call to the Migration Notice Helpline.

If you’re on a computer, visit the video relay service (https://connect.interpreterslive.co.uk/vrs?ilc=DWP).
- Select Company to contact: ‘DWP (DA Languages)’.
- Select Department: ‘Universal Credit - if you have a Migration Notice letter’.
If you’re on a mobile or tablet, use the InterpretersLive! app.

From the app:
- Select ‘Directory’, search for ‘Universal Credit’.
- Select ‘Universal Credit - I have a Migration Notice letter’.
- Select ‘Call Now’, select Company to contact: ‘DWP (DA Languages)’.
- Select Department: ‘Universal Credit - if you have a Migration Notice letter’.
- Select ‘Connect Now’.
If you need help, view a YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oELNMfAvDxw).

Other financial help and support

If you get Universal Credit, you could be eligible for other benefits or financial support. You should check what you can get (https://www.gov.uk/check-benefits-financial-support).

You might be able to get different support in Scotland (https://www.gov.scot/policies/social-security/universal-credit/).

If you’re in financial difficulties, you can get help and advice from the government, local councils, and other organisations, such as advicelocal.uk (https://advicelocal.uk/).