Universal Credit and DWP Support

Universal Credit is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in England, Scotland and Wales. The DWP is the government department responsible for working-age benefits, pensions and related decisions.

Universal Credit can provide support with ordinary living costs. Depending on someone's circumstances, an award may include additional amounts relating to housing, children, caring responsibilities or health.

Northern Ireland has a separate Universal Credit service, delivered by the Department for Communities and explained on nidirect. If you live in Northern Ireland, use the nidirect guidance and the Universal Credit Service Centre rather than the Great Britain helpline.

Your online account and journal are the main way to deal with your claim. They are used to:

• Check payments and statements
• Read messages and tasks
• Report changes
• Record fit-note information
• Contact a work coach or case manager
• Ask questions about a decision or a payment
• Request a mandatory reconsideration where appropriate

It usually helps to:

• Check the journal and your "to-do" list regularly
• Keep messages factual and polite
• Include the important dates
• Save screenshots of your messages and the replies
• Keep copies of letters, evidence and fit notes
• Never publish your National Insurance number or account details publicly

Changes should be reported promptly through your Universal Credit account. Delays may lead to incorrect payments, overpayments or money having to be repaid.

Examples include:

• Starting or finishing employment
• Becoming self-employed, or ending self-employment
• Changes to your working hours or pay
• Changes to earnings or business activity
• Moving home
• Rent changing
• A partner moving in or out
• Changes involving children or caring responsibilities
• Changes to savings, investments or other capital
• Changes to a health condition
• Becoming unable to work or unable to attend an appointment
• Changing bank, telephone or email details
• Travelling outside Great Britain

This is not a complete list. If you are unsure whether something counts as a change, ask through your journal and keep the reply.

This area is easy to get wrong, so take it slowly and put things in writing. In general terms:

• Tell Universal Credit as soon as you start or finish a job, or start or stop working for yourself.
• If you are employed, earnings are usually reported automatically through PAYE, but you should still check that the figures shown in your account look correct.
• If you are self-employed, you normally have to report your business income and expenses for every monthly assessment period, including months with no income.
• The DWP may ask about your working hours, what the work involves, your income and your expenses.
• Keep business money and personal money separate, and keep bank statements, invoices and receipts.
• Report changes to your earnings or working hours promptly, as they can change your payment.

• Report a health condition or disability through your Universal Credit account.
• If it affects your ability to work for more than seven days, you will usually need a fit note.
• Fit-note details must be reported through your account.
• If the condition continues, replacement fit notes may be required until a Work Capability Assessment decision is issued.
• Fit notes can be issued by eligible healthcare professionals, including doctors, registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists.
• Keep copies, and record the start and expiry dates.
• A fit note does not itself decide Limited Capability for Work (LCW) or Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) entitlement.

Payment amounts are not listed on this page because they change. Check the current GOV.UK guidance and your own statement instead.

Following an assessment, the possible outcomes are usually described as:

• Fit for work — you may be expected to look for suitable work.
• Limited Capability for Work (LCW) — you may be expected to prepare for work in the future.
• Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) — you are not required to look for work or prepare for work, and you may qualify for an additional amount.

Some people may be identified as having a severe, lifelong condition.

Points worth knowing:

• An assessment may take place in person, by telephone or by video.
• You can usually have somebody with you.
• Medical evidence should explain how the condition affects everyday activities and your ability to work.
• Describe what happens on difficult days, whether symptoms vary, and whether activities can be completed safely, repeatedly, reliably and within a reasonable time.
• The official decision, not the assessor alone, determines the outcome.

Your claimant commitment should reflect your actual circumstances, including health, disability and caring responsibilities. If it does not, say so through your journal and explain what has changed or what was not taken into account.

If you cannot attend an appointment, contact Universal Credit immediately. Explain why and request another arrangement rather than simply missing it.

Reasonable adjustments that people sometimes ask for include:

• Written communication where possible
• Extra time to understand information
• Accessible appointment arrangements
• Bringing a friend, relative, advocate or support worker
• Telephone, video or alternative arrangements where available
• Communication support for hearing, sight, learning or cognitive needs

Adjustments are considered individually and not every request will be granted, so ask early and keep a record of what you asked for and what you were told.

Your monthly statement can show:

• Standard allowance
• Housing costs
• Amounts for children
• Carer-related amounts
• Health-related amounts
• Earnings taken into account
• Deductions for advances, overpayments or other debts
• The final payment

Compare each statement with the previous month. If something has changed and you do not know why, ask through your journal and ask for the answer in writing.

Fixed rates are not listed here because they can change annually and differ according to circumstances.

• Read the decision letter or journal message carefully.
• Check the payment statement and the relevant dates.
• Ask Universal Credit for a written explanation.
• Collect supporting evidence.
• Obtain independent benefits advice promptly.
• Consider a mandatory reconsideration if you disagree with a formal decision.

A complaint and a challenge against a benefit decision are not the same process. A complaint is about how you were treated or how your claim was handled. Changing the decision itself normally requires a mandatory reconsideration and, if necessary, an appeal.

A mandatory reconsideration asks the relevant benefits office to look at its decision again.

• It is normally requested within one month of the date of the decision.
• A late request may sometimes be accepted where there is a good reason.
• For Universal Credit, it may be requested through your journal, by telephone, by letter or using the relevant form.
• Identify the decision, explain precisely what is wrong, and provide supporting evidence.
• If the decision remains unchanged, there may be a right of appeal to an independent tribunal.

A complaint may be appropriate for issues such as:

• Unreasonable delays
• Poor communication
• Incorrect or conflicting information
• Lost evidence
• Failure to consider requested support or accessibility needs
• How somebody was treated

Challenging the actual benefit decision usually requires a mandatory reconsideration or an appeal, even if you also make a complaint. If you disagree with a decision, keep an eye on the reconsideration time limit while the complaint is being dealt with.