If you are under pension age and need help paying living and housing costs you may be able to claim Universal Credit (UC). You can claim UC if you are receiving the Severe Disability Premium, working or unemployed but your savings need to be under £16,000.

If you are making a new benefit claim to help you pay living costs and rent, the claim will normally be for UC unless:

• you and your partner are of pension age

• you are a student (there are some exceptions where you can claim UC, for example if you are or your partner have a child or are on certain disability benefits).

You cannot claim UC if you have more than £16,000 in capital (for example, savings or property other than your home) or your income is too high.

If you are already getting one of the following benefits your claim will gradually be transferred to UC:

• housing benefit (with some exceptions)

• income support (IS)

• income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)

• income-based employment and support allowance (ESA)

• child tax credit

• working tax credit.

These are known as ‘legacy benefits’ and have all been replaced by UC.

Benefits other than ‘legacy benefits’ are not being replaced so you can continue to claim them. These include contributions-based JSA, contributions-based ESA, (Now called ‘new style’ JSA and ESA) child benefit, carer’s allowance, bereavement support payment and personal independence payment.

If you are already receiving one of the ‘legacy benefits’ but have a change of circumstances, for example, you move to a different council area, have a change in your household or change jobs, then you might be asked to make a new claim for UC instead. Your old benefits will stop.

This is known as ‘natural migration’.

If you are already receiving one of the ‘legacy benefits’ but have no change of circumstances, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will gradually move you on to UC. This is due to happen between 2020 and 2023. You do not need to do anything before then.

This is known as ‘managed migration’.