Universal Credit migration will run under new safeguards from 29 January 2026 across Great Britain. The Department for Work and Pensions has changed the rules to stop people in northern towns and cities losing transitional protection because their migration letter lands too close to the day their old benefit is switched off.

According to Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 6 (S.I. 2026/6), published on legislation.gov.uk, migration deadlines can now be aligned with the ‘appointed day’-the date a legacy benefit is abolished. This covers people on income‑based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income‑related Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support, so they are not timed out of protection by a late‑arriving notice.

For Housing Benefit‑only cases, the same approach applies. Where someone receives Housing Benefit as well as another legacy benefit, the deadline follows the other benefit’s abolition date. In plain terms: if your notice arrives late in the day, your last date to claim UC may be the day the old benefit ends-so you are not shut out of transitional protection because of timing.

The regulations also tidy up how run‑on payments interact with these deadlines. The two‑week run‑on that can apply when you move off certain benefits will no longer be allowed to knock the appointed day out of sync, ensuring the safeguard still does its job.

A second change tackles a problem many advice workers across the North have flagged for years. New regulation 63A protects people who tried to claim UC but were refused because DWP could not verify their identity, and whose legacy benefits then carried on in error. If DWP later invites them to claim and they do so within one month, the Department can treat them as if they remained entitled to the old benefit for the key period.

This matters most for disabled claimants. The instrument allows DWP to recognise past entitlement to the Severe Disability Premium, the Enhanced Disability Premium, the standard Disability Premium and the Disabled Child Premium, so the correct transitional elements are preserved when moving to UC. For families who rely on these additions, the fix removes a harsh technicality rather than altering underlying rates.

What should people do now? Do not ignore a migration notice. Check the deadline carefully. If it matches the abolition date of your old benefit, you still need to make the UC claim by that day to keep transitional protection. If ID checks have tripped you up before, watch for a DWP invitation and respond within one month. Keep letters and evidence together.

Local councils will feel the change too. Housing Benefit is run by district and unitary councils across the North, and aligning deadlines should reduce disputes about when protection applies. DWP says it consulted organisations representing local authorities on the migration‑notice provisions before laying the rules, while the Social Security Advisory Committee agreed the proposals did not need a formal referral.

This measure applies to England, Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland operates its own system. The rules were made on 6 January 2026, laid before Parliament on 8 January and come into force on 29 January 2026. The instrument is signed by Work and Pensions Minister of State Stephen Timms, as recorded on legislation.gov.uk.

A reminder on what transitional protection actually is: it’s a top‑up to stop you being worse off at the point you move to UC. It can reduce or end over time if your circumstances change. If you are unsure what this means for your household, speak to your council’s welfare rights team, Citizens Advice or a trusted local adviser early-sorting it now usually avoids trouble later.