Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Department provides transitional protection to 330,000 migrating households to avoid Universal Credit detriment.
Conclusion
The Department provides financial support to claimants it moves under the managed migration process, known as ‘transitional protection’, to make sure they are not worse off on UC at the point of moving than they were on legacy benefits. The Department calculates a claimant’s UC entitlement and then adds a top-up amount (called the ‘transitional element’) equivalent to the difference between this entitlement and the value of the legacy benefits being replaced. The Department expects to provide over 330,000 (38%) of the households it moves to UC through the current migration process with transitional protection, at an estimated cost of £1.2 billion up to the end of March 2027.61
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 11 July 2025. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗