People claiming these two DWP benefits told payments could stop before Christmas

Claimants urged to take action if they receive a migration notice letter in the post

Over 1.6 million people claiming two DWP benefits have been warned their payments will stop if they don't take action before a crucial deadline. Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is being scrapped and replaced with Universal Credit (UC).

Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) is also being replaced at the same time. Anyone who has received a migration notice letter from the DWP has been told they must act quickly to ensure there is no disruption to their payments.

These were sent out to most people in September. People have three months to apply and be signed up for UC from the date their migration letter was sent. It means time is already running out for those who haven't yet submitted their applications.

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Those who fail to apply for the new benefit would see their payments stop in December, just before Christmas, the most expensive time of the year. It makes it even more important that claimants get their benefits sorted and don't ignore it or leave it too late. Full details of what claimants need to do will be contained in the letters.

Around 1.6 million people claim ESA. These are mostly people who cannot work for health-related reasons. Another 88,000 claim JSA.

They are among six 'legacy' benefits being phased out and rolled into Universal Credit. The benefits are being scrapped gradually as part of the process to bring everyone under UC.

The DWP has urged anyone who gets a migration notice not to ignore it and ensure they take action as soon as possible to avoid any issues with their benefits in the run-up to Christmas. They said: "Move to Universal Credit if you get a Migration Notice letter.

"As one or more of your benefits will be ending soon, you need to move to Universal Credit. To continue receiving financial support you must claim Universal Credit by the deadline date given in your letter. This is three months from the date the letter was sent out."