DWP benefit warning for pensioners as payments to stop from April this year

Pensioners are being warned that any existing tax credits will cease come April, as the system is phased out to make way for Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

Most individuals have already transitioned from tax credits, but for those still receiving them, authorities have issued a final warning—no additional payments will be made from April. Recipients who have received a migration notice should take immediate action in order to avoid losing their benefits.

This push marks a significant moment in the DWP’s benefits overhaul, transitioning towards Universal Credit and Pension Credit. A lack of response to transition requirements has already resulted in countless claimants being cut off from their benefits after missing crucial deadlines.

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Between July 2022 and June 2024, 1,140,810 Brits were sent migration notices as part of the decade-long transition from a variety of legacy benefits to a more simplified system, reports Birmingham Live. From April, working-age people will receive their tax credit benefit through Universal Credit, while older people on lower incomes will receive help through Pension Credit.

The Government has clarified: "Universal Credit is replacing tax credits. If you do not claim by the deadline date in that letter your existing tax credits payments will stop, even if you have just renewed your tax credits claim.

"If you are claiming tax credits and are state pension age or over, the DWP or the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland) will write to you to ask you to apply for Universal Credit or Pension Credit, depending on your circumstances. A very small number of