Transitional protection

Transitional protection is an extra amount to top up the UC award to ensure that people are not worse off when they move over to the new benefit. However, it is only available for people who have no change in their circumstances that would trigger a move to UC through “natural migration” and are therefore moved on to UC by way of “managed migration” (see page 6).

The Entitledto benefits advice website (www.entitledto.co.uk) explains that, because the top-up payment is frozen, even those who receive transitional protection will gradually be worse off over time as the payment is eroded by inflation. It will end if a partner leaves or joins the household, there is a sustained (three-month) earnings drop beneath the level of work expected according to the Claimant Commitment (see page 23), the UC award ends, or the claimant or their partner stops work. Once it has ended, it will not be applied to any future awards.

Public services union UNISON is demanding that claimants moved on to UC through natural migration also receive transitional protection.