Move to Universal Credit non-claimants (formerly tax credits customers) Research
This report presents findings from research with former Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit customers who received a Migration Notice and did not make a claim for Universal Credit (UC).
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Details
Research background
In 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) issued Migration Notices to tax credits customers at increasing scale, informing them to apply for Universal Credit to continue receiving financial assistance. Early learning around the managed migration of tax credits customers, published by DWP, set out the reasons why some individuals were not making a claim for UC by the deadline in their Migration Notice. DWP commissioned Ipsos UK to conduct research into why former tax credit customers were not claiming UC at a larger scale.
The research involved a quantitative survey and follow-up qualitative in-depth interviews. The quantitative strand of this research consisted of a mixed-mode push-to-web survey with CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) interviews conducted between 17 April and 3 June 2024 with tax credits customers who had not made a claim to Universal Credit after their Migration Deadline had passed as of March 2024. In total, 1,029 survey interviews were conducted. 30 qualitative interviews were carried out between 8 July and 8 August 2024 with survey respondents who agreed to be recontacted.
The research focused on the following:
- levels of awareness, understanding and perceptions of UC amongst legacy tax credits customers. The reasons why this cohort are not claiming including whether they felt financially stable without it, and if not, whether there were any barriers to claiming or misconceptions
- the current and potential impact of not claiming UC, both financial and wider
- potential long-term consequences of not claiming UC and actions to top up their income since tax credits have stopped
- future intentions to claim UC, including any support needed to make a claim for UC.
Contribution to the evidence base
This research contributes to the body of evidence on Universal Credit that can be used to inform Policy and Programme decisions in the future.
Research value
This research will help Policy and Programme colleagues to better understand the reasons former tax credit customers decide not to move onto UC and identify areas for improvement in the Move to UC activity. Findings from this research will also help inform UC policy decisions by allowing the Department to understand non-claimant behaviour and any barriers that prevent them from claiming.