The DWP benefits closure refers to the staged ending of specified means-tested legacy benefits as claimants move to Universal Credit.
Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance closed on 31 March 2026, while income-related Employment and Support Allowance and most affected working-age Housing Benefit awards reached their main abolition point on 1 July 2026, following a 30 June closure deadline.
The change does not mean every form of JSA, ESA or Housing Benefit has disappeared. New Style JSA, New Style ESA and protected Housing Benefit cases continue.
Key Points
- The programme restarted in May 2022 and moved more than 1.9 million people.
- Around 135,000 Income Support and income-related JSA claimants were included in the March closure.
- The latest official release records 2,353,319 people receiving Migration Notices by March 2026.
- Claimants should follow the personal deadline in their Migration Notice and seek help before it expires.
That distinction is central to understanding the change accurately.
Which DWP Benefits Have Officially Closed In 2026?
The final DWP benefits closure involved four means-tested benefit categories, but they did not all end on the same date.
Benefits Affected By The Closure
- Income Support closed on 31 March 2026.
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance closed on 31 March 2026.
- Remaining income-related Employment and Support Allowance awards were generally abolished from 1 July 2026.
- Applicable working-age Housing Benefit awards outside protected categories were generally abolished from 1 July 2026.
DWP Benefits Closure Timeline
| Benefit | Main Closure Position | Current Alternative Or Exception |
| Income Support | Closed on 31 March 2026 | Universal Credit |
| Income-based JSA | Closed on 31 March 2026 | Universal Credit |
| Income-related ESA | Main abolition from 1 July 2026 | Universal Credit, with limited exceptions |
| Working-age Housing Benefit | Main abolition from 1 July 2026 | UC housing costs or continuing Housing Benefit in protected cases |
| New Style JSA | Not closed | Continues under contribution rules |
| New Style ESA | Not closed | Continues under contribution rules |
These were part of the six legacy payments brought into Universal Credit, alongside Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. The closure only affected the specified legacy versions, not every benefit with JSA, ESA or housing support in its name.
Why Did The DWP Close Legacy Benefits And Move Claimants To Universal Credit?
The Government said the Move to Universal Credit programme was intended to replace six separate means-tested benefits with one monthly household payment.
Managed migration restarted in May 2022 because many people remained on legacy systems after Universal Credit had become available for new claims through all Jobcentres.
Universal Credit now supports more than 8.4 million people. More than 1.9 million were moved through the managed-migration campaign, including 135,000 recipients of Income Support or income-based JSA. Tax credits had already closed in April 2025 after more than one million claimants transferred.
Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said:
“Vulnerable customers have been at the forefront of this campaign.”
The Government also linked migration to employment support. More than 65,000 people had accepted voluntary help from Pathways to Work advisers, while £3.5 billion was committed to employment support by the end of the decade.
Connect to Work was expected to support 300,000 people over five years.
Separately, April 2026 reforms introduced a £217.26 monthly Universal Credit health element for specified new claimants, compared with the protected £429.80 higher rate.
Ministers projected a reduction in expenditure of almost £1 billion; that reform was related to Universal Credit policy, not the legal reason legacy claims closed.
What Happened On 31 March And 30 June 2026?
The closure was completed through two principal stages, followed by limited exceptions for cases requiring additional safeguards.
The 31 March Closure Date
Income Support and income-based JSA closed on 31 March 2026. The campaign had moved approximately 135,000 claimants from those benefits, according to the official closure announcement and figures.
Universal Credit replaced those means-tested payments. Claimants were not transferred automatically simply because the old systems closed; they generally needed to submit a Universal Credit claim after receiving a Migration Notice.
Why Was The Final Stage Extended?
The original March announcement said the ESA and Housing Benefit stage would be completed by the end of summer, allowing more support for hard-to-reach people and those facing significant barriers.
Available assistance included a dedicated telephone line, the Enhanced Support Journey and possible home visits for people who had not engaged with earlier communications.
By December 2025, 879,000 income-related ESA households had been issued Migration Notices, with most having claimed Universal Credit.
The 30 June Closure Stage
A subsequent ministerial statement set 30 June 2026 as the closure date for applicable income-related ESA and Housing Benefit.
The implementing guidance records 1 July as the legal abolition date, effectively making 30 June the final day before abolition for most unresolved awards.
Around 500 people needing personal or corporate appointee arrangements were temporarily exempted. Awards with an applicable two-week run-on could also end later than the general date.
Which Benefits Still Continue After The DWP Benefits Closure?
New Style JSA and New Style ESA continue because they are contributory benefits rather than the income-based or income-related legacy benefits being abolished.
New Style JSA may be available to an unemployed person who has paid or been credited with sufficient Class 1 National Insurance contributions.
A claimant may receive it with or instead of Universal Credit, although other income can affect the overall household calculation.
New Style ESA remains available to eligible people whose health condition or disability limits their ability to work. It may be paid alone or alongside Universal Credit, but Universal Credit is usually reduced by the amount of New Style ESA received.
Savings and a partner’s earnings do not determine New Style ESA entitlement in the same way as a means-tested Universal Credit assessment.
PIP, Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance and the State Pension were not closed through the Move to Universal Credit programme. PIP remains a separate benefit and can continue alongside Universal Credit where the claimant meets its rules.
Check What The DWP Benefits Closure Means For You
Select a benefit to see whether it closed, continues under different rules or may remain available in protected circumstances.
Which payment do you want to check?
Select the exact name of the benefit. Income-based and New Style benefits are treated differently.
Select a benefit above
The result will explain its closure status, relevant date, current alternative and recommended next action.
Which situation best describes the claimant?
What is the position with the Migration Notice?
The claimant should follow the personal date printed in the notice rather than relying only on the national closure dates.
Who Can Still Receive Housing Benefit After The Changes?
Housing Benefit has not ended for every claimant. Working-age Housing Benefit continues where a person is living in specified supported accommodation or temporary accommodation, with payment normally remaining the responsibility of the local council.
The implementing rules also preserve or defer certain awards involving people above the qualifying age for Pension Credit, protected mixed-age couples, prisoners or hospital detainees, appointee cases and awards still completing an applicable two-week run-on.
The exact position depends on the claimant’s accommodation, age and linked benefits.
For most other working-age tenants, help with rent is provided through the housing-cost element of Universal Credit rather than a separate Housing Benefit award.
Supported or temporary accommodation residents may therefore receive Universal Credit for living costs while their council continues paying Housing Benefit for eligible accommodation costs.
A claimant should verify the accommodation category before ending or changing an existing award, because “supported housing” has a specific benefits meaning and does not cover every property offering informal support.
What Must Claimants Do After Receiving A Migration Notice?
A Migration Notice is the formal instruction to claim Universal Credit by a personal deadline. It is different from general advertising or an informational letter.
Check The Personal Deadline
The claimant should use the date printed in the notice rather than relying only on national closure dates. A legacy award can end even when the person decides not to apply for Universal Credit.
The current Migration Notice guidance explains the application process, health-assessment rules, appointee arrangements and available support.
How Should Claimants Prepare?
A claimant may need to provide:
- Identity and National Insurance details.
- Bank, building society or credit union information.
- Rent, tenancy and housing-cost evidence.
- Earnings, other income, savings and investments.
- Details of a partner and dependent children.
- Information about health conditions and caring responsibilities.
A Universal Credit account must be created and the application completed. Creating an online account alone does not complete a claim; the current guidance states that an unfinished application must be completed within 28 days or restarted.
Asking For More Time
An extension may be granted where the claimant has a good reason and requests more time before the deadline. There is no stated limit on how many extensions may be requested, but approval is not automatic and the Secretary of State can refuse a request.
Support may include the Migration Notice Helpline, Jobcentre assistance, home visits or independent Help to Claim services. Early contact gives officials more time to address identification, digital-access, health or appointee barriers.
What Happens If A Claimant Misses The Universal Credit Deadline?
Missing the deadline can cause the legacy award to close, but the outcome depends on the notice date, any agreed extension and how soon a late Universal Credit claim is completed.
Possible Consequences
- The legacy benefit can stop after the relevant run-on period.
- Payments do not continue automatically because no Universal Credit claim was made.
- A late claim may be assessed under different timing rules.
- Transitional protection may be reduced or lost.
- The former legacy claim normally cannot simply be reopened.
Official statistical guidance says a person who completes a claim within one month after the deadline may still be considered for transitional protection.
That is not a guarantee of entitlement, and the general guidance remains that the claim should be made by the date in the Migration Notice.
Transitional protection can add an amount where the calculated Universal Credit entitlement is initially lower than the previous legacy benefits. It can later decrease or end following increased Universal Credit entitlement, the end of the claim or certain significant changes in circumstances.
A claimant whose payment has stopped should therefore contact the Migration Notice Helpline or a welfare-rights adviser promptly rather than assuming the missed deadline cannot be addressed.
What Do The Latest DWP Migration Figures Reveal?
Official figures covering July 2022 to the end of March 2026 show the scale of the managed-migration programme and the number of people whose legacy claims ended without a Universal Credit claim.
Migration Notices And Universal Credit Claims
The latest managed migration statistics record the following results.
Migration Outcomes To March 2026
| Measure | Individuals | Households |
| Migration Notices sent | 2,353,319 | 1,822,374 |
| Universal Credit claims made | 1,992,161 | 1,580,239 |
| Legacy benefit closed without a UC claim | 360,030 | 241,064 |
| Cases still in progress | 1,131 | 1,073 |
Among notified households, 87% made a Universal Credit claim and 13% did not claim before their legacy benefit ended. At individual level, the equivalent proportions were 85% and 15%. Couple households accounted for 530,947 notices, or 29% of notified households.
These figures record claims submitted, not guaranteed Universal Credit awards or payment levels.
What Does Transitional Protection Show?
Of 1,531,860 households recorded as eligible for consideration, 814,703 had been awarded transitional protection—53% of that group. The award could include a transitional element or, in qualifying former tax-credit cases, a temporary capital or student disregard.
The dataset ends in March 2026, so it does not provide a complete final total for the ESA and Housing Benefit cases abolished from July.
What Happens Next After The DWP Benefits Closure?
The principal legacy systems have closed, but administrative work continues for exempted appointee cases, run-on payments and protected Housing Benefit awards.
Officials must complete arrangements for approximately 500 people who needed a personal or corporate appointee. The exemption was described as temporary rather than indefinite, with normal abolition rules applying after an appointee case progresses or its Migration Notice deadline is reached.
New Style JSA and New Style ESA will continue under their separate National Insurance rules. Councils will also continue administering eligible Housing Benefit for temporary or supported accommodation and other protected categories.
The closure dates and statistics cited here principally cover England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland operates Universal Credit migration through the Department for Communities, which sends its own Migration Notices and provides separate contact routes.
Conclusion
The DWP benefits closure completed the main transition from specified means-tested legacy benefits to Universal Credit.
Income Support and income-based JSA closed on 31 March 2026, while remaining income-related ESA and applicable working-age Housing Benefit awards generally reached abolition from 1 July.
However, JSA, ESA and Housing Benefit have not disappeared in every form. New Style JSA and New Style ESA continue, while protected Housing Benefit cases remain outside the general closure.
Claimants should identify the exact name of their benefit, follow the deadline in any Migration Notice and seek help quickly when a payment stops unexpectedly.
Individual dates, run-on periods, appointee arrangements and housing circumstances can produce a different outcome from the headline closure date.
FAQs
Is New Style JSA Affected By The Closure Of Income-Based JSA?
No. New Style JSA remains available to eligible people with sufficient National Insurance contributions, although receiving it may affect a related Universal Credit calculation.
Does PIP Need To Be Moved To Universal Credit?
No. PIP remains a separate disability benefit and can continue alongside Universal Credit when the claimant remains eligible.
Can An ESA Health Decision Transfer To Universal Credit?
An existing Work Capability Assessment decision may transfer where the claimant moves without a break and meets the stated conditions. A later review can still be required.
How Does Transitional Protection Affect Universal Credit?
It may add a transitional element where the initial Universal Credit entitlement is lower than the claimant’s previous benefits. The amount can reduce or end later.
Can Someone Get Help Completing A Universal Credit Claim?
Yes. Support can be available through the Migration Notice Helpline, Jobcentres, home visits and independent Help to Claim services.
Do Savings Affect A Move To Universal Credit?
Usually, Universal Credit cannot be claimed where household money, savings and investments exceed £16,000. Specific transitional rules previously applied to some tax-credit claimants.
Can Partners Receive Different Migration Communications?
Household circumstances determine how a couple must claim, and both partners may need to complete their parts of a joint application. Each letter should be checked carefully.
Note
The Government described 30 June 2026 as the closure date for remaining income-related ESA and applicable Housing Benefit, while the implementing decision-making guidance records 1 July 2026 as the legal abolition date.
Two-week run-ons, appointee arrangements and specified protected groups can produce later or different individual end dates.