Recommendation 7

With the move of Employment and Support Allowance claimants to Universal Credit now deferred to 2028, it will be vital for the Department to capture and act upon the learning from its current programme about how to migrate vulnerable claimants effectively. The Government announced, in the 2022 Autumn Statement, that it was delaying the move of income-related Employment and Support Allowance claimants to Universal Credit until 2028 to save £1 billion in benefit payments. Employment and Support Allowance claimants include some of the more vulnerable 8 Progress in implementing Universal Credit claimants due to move to Universal Credit. The Department has estimated that 51% of these claimants would be better off on Universal Credit by around £130 a month on average. Claimants can switch voluntarily before 2028 but will not receive transitional protection if it turns out they are worse off on Universal Credit. The Department highlights that claimants can access three benefit calculators, available through the gov.uk website, to get an estimate of their entitlement under Universal Credit. The decision to delay the move of Employment and Support Allowance claimants means that the transfer of all legacy benefit claimants to Universal Credit will not be completed until 2028, although the current migration programme is due to finish in 2025. The Department expects it will need to move around 600,000 claimants in 2028 but has not yet developed a plan for this. Recommendation 7: The Department should, in preparation for moving income- related Employment and Support Allowance claimants to Universal Credit, explain how it is capturing the lessons from its current migration programme so that it is ready for their migration in 2028. Progress in implementing Universal Credit 9 1 Progress in achieving the benefits of Universal Credit