Martin Lewis warns crucial DWP letter that ‘mustn't be ignored’ as it could cut off benefits

Martin Lewis issued an urgent update to people on certain benefits warning that ignoring a “crucial letter” from the DWP will stop their payments

Martin Lewis raised the alarm around a batch of letters being sent out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). He particularly encouraged people not to ignore it or push it under the carpet for fear of what it means because not acting on their instructions will stop their benefit payments outright.

On his BBC podcast, the Money-Saving Expert issued an urgent warning in the final minutes: “An important one for anyone on tax credits, housing benefit, employment support allowance or similar; do not ignore a crucial letter that is coming, you may lose your benefits. The Department of Work and Pensions is sending letters to many people saying you must now apply to switch to Universal Credit from your current system. Do not ignore it.”

These include all six legacy benefit claimants, namely those on Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits, Housing Benefits, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support and Income-related Employment and Support Allowance. These benefits are all moving over to Universal Credit and the letter explains the next steps claimants have to take in order to join the migration.

Unfortunately, DWP figures showed over a third of people on these benefits have had their payments stopped during this migration process to Universal Credit. With this worrying statistic in mind, Martin reiterated: “Do not ignore the letters. Some of those people may have been cut off because they’re no longer eligible but it’s likely that for many people this is just an administrative issue. Watch out for the letter from the DWP, make sure your address details are up to date, and then deal with it. You do not want to have your benefits cut.”

The usual deadline for applying to move to Universal Credit is three months from the date the letter is sent out, which will be highlighted in your letter. Certain recipients may be able to get an extension on this deadline if they have a good reason but they must request this before the deadline date.

They can do this through the Universal Credit Migration Notice helpline. People who miss this deadline will have their existing legacy benefits stopped, but they can apply for Universal Credit at a later date however they won't receive the same transitional protections they'll get if they apply within three months of receiving their letter.