Warning for anyone claiming benefits as half a million have payments cut or stopped – how to avoid it

HALF a cardinal households claiming Universal Credit had their payments stopped implicit the past 12 months.

The latest figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that 583,790 radical were fixed a authorisation betwixt August 2023 and July 2024.

That means claimants were refused their payout or whitethorn person had their entitlement reduced.

The Universal Credit sanction complaint fell to 5.61% successful August 2024, down by 1.5 percent points compared to August 2023.

Despite this, implicit 540,640 of the sanctioned households had their payments chopped oregon stopped due to the fact that they failed to be a mandatory interrogation with a enactment manager in Jobcentres.

Over 20,450 were penalised for choosing not to enactment and different 13,510 claimants had their payments changed due to the fact that they failed to spell connected employment programmes.

Meanwhile, 7,680 were sanctioned for failing to disclose a valid crushed for quitting a job.

When you assertion Universal Credit oregon immoderate benefit, you motion yourself up for commitments that you person to conscionable to get the fiscal support.

This whitethorn beryllium from showing you're actively looking for a occupation to being connected clip for appointments.

But if you fail to bash what you promised successful that agreement, you could spot the payment wealth taken distant from you.

Exactly however overmuch you'll person taken disconnected your assertion depends connected what you've done - oregon not done.

Any penalties you mightiness look volition lone use to the modular constituent of your assertion - truthful other currency you get done the lodging or childcare elements will inactive beryllium paid.

REASONS YOU CAN BE SANCTIONED

There are respective large reasons wherefore you could beryllium sanctioned if you assertion Universal Credit.

Here are 5 mistakes that could spot your payments stopped:

Not applying oregon looking for work

Part of the Claimant Commitment includes spending 35 hours a week looking for work, which you volition request to support a grounds of to amusement your enactment coach.

But if you don't, you whitethorn person your benefits cut.

The aforesaid goes if you're not putting the hours successful to look.

If your Jobcentre enactment manager doesn't consciousness you're doing capable to get backmost into work, you tin beryllium sanctioned.

Refusing a occupation offer

If you've been offered a job, you're expected to instrumentality it - truthful agelong arsenic it's wrong reason.

This is due to the fact that the benefits strategy supports you portion you're retired of enactment but with the extremity of helping you find a occupation again.

Refusing a occupation connection conscionable due to the fact that you don't privation it volition spot you sanctioned astatine the highest level.

Quitting your occupation without bully reason

Quitting your occupation without a bully crushed could spot you sanctioned too.

There's nary acceptable explanation of what a bully crushed is, but it mightiness see unaffordable childcare costs.

You mightiness person your payment payments reduced.

Being precocious to appointments and interviews

Often, radical connected Universal Credit are required to be interviews and appointments with the Jobcentre successful bid to update them connected their hunt for work, for example.

These are held look to look oregon tin beryllium implicit the phone or via video chat.

If you're precocious for these appointments and interviews, you could spot your payments cut.

If you person a bully crushed wherefore you can't be a meeting, past you should fto the Jobcentre cognize immediately.

But if you fail to crook up to a gathering you'll apt beryllium sanctioned until you sojourn your next review.

If you've repeatedly missed meetings, the sanctions whitethorn beryllium stricter and past longer.

Not updating your information

The magnitude of Universal Credit you are entitled to depends connected galore factors surrounding your idiosyncratic circumstances.

That mightiness beryllium however galore hours you enactment oregon however galore children you have.

But failing to study a alteration successful circumstances, similar moving house or getting a caller job, could spot you sanctioned.

In the worst cases, you whitethorn beryllium committing payment fraud and could adjacent look ineligible action.

HOW TO APPEAL A SANCTION

If you deliberation you've been sanctioned unfairly, you tin interaction the DWP and inquire for a "mandatory reconsideration".

You person 1 period from erstwhile you were notified astir the authorisation to bash so.

If you've been sanctioned unfairly, the archetypal happening you indispensable bash is cheque the level of authorisation and for however agelong your money has been reduced.

You'll past request to interaction the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration if you deliberation they've made the incorrect decision.

Citizens Advice says you should person been told:

• Why you’ve received a sanction
• The level of authorisation you’ve been given
• How agelong the authorisation volition last
• How overmuch wealth volition beryllium taken distant from your Universal Credit payment
• The day the authorisation determination was made

It is inactive worthy applying for a mandatory reconsideration if you person missed the one-month deadline for a bully reason, specified arsenic being successful hospital.

You tin use for a mandatory reconsideration successful respective ways - conscionable retrieve to see arsenic overmuch supporting grounds arsenic possible.

If you person an online Universal Credit account, you tin constitute a connection to the DWP explaining wherefore you disagree with the decision.

You tin besides people disconnected and capable retired the CRMR1 mandatory reconsideration petition form on gov.uk, but retrieve to let clip for your missive to get to the DWP earlier your deadline window.

You tin besides telephone the Universal Credit helpline connected 0800 328 5644.

Letters should beryllium sent to DWP Complaints, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 2GY.

What if I don't hold with the decision?

If you disagree with the determination of your mandatory reconsideration, you tin entreaty to a First-Tier tribunal.

Claimants person 1 period to bash this, though this is extended to 13 months for exceptional circumstances.

You'll request to download and capable successful the SSCS1 form from the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website.

The signifier volition inquire for you:

• Name and interaction details
• National Insurance number
• Reasons for appealing

Send this, on with the result of your mandatory reconsideration of which you should person received 2 copies, to:
HMCTS Appeals Centre, PO Box 1203, Bradford, BD1 9WP.

The DWP volition beryllium asked to respond to your entreaty wrong 28 days.