Overview
- Migration notices are being issued as the DWP targets completion of ESA moves by March 2026 and ends Income Support and income‑based JSA on 1 April, with transitional protection applied automatically for those who would lose out.
- From April 2026, the Universal Credit standard allowance will rise above inflation through 2029/30 and the health top‑up for new claims will be £50 a week, while existing recipients of the health element keep higher payments.
- The new Eligibility Verification Measure starts phased use in 2026 for Universal Credit, Pension Credit and ESA, with banks providing limited data fields on flagged accounts, human review of any flags, and the State Pension explicitly excluded.
- DWP expects the checks to identify 50,000–100,000 overpayments annually and projects £2.1bn in savings over five years, alongside wider enforcement powers including direct deduction orders and expanded information‑notice and property‑search powers, with OBR scrutiny of the estimates.
- The DWP confirms there will be no further Cost of Living Payments in 2026 and urges claimants to beware of scam messages and to check for unclaimed support using accredited benefit calculators.