Certain actions or mistakes while on Universal Credit can trigger a sanction, where your benefit payment is reduced for a certain period of time
Universal Credit recipients enter into an agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions, known as a claimant commitment, to receive their benefit payments. This outlines everything they are expected to do in their personal circumstances to maintain their payments, but breaching this agreement can result in a sanction.
This usually includes things like missing, being late for or not taking part in:
- Universal Credit appointments
- Interviews
- Other agreed tasks to help find a job like training courses and applications
If you are sanctioned, this will reduce your Universal Credit payment by 100% of the standard allowance you receive for each day the sanction is in place. This can range from £8.10 a day for joint claimants under 25, per sanctioned claimant, up to £13.10 per day for a single claimant over 25.
Claimants who are aged 16 or 17, or have just one responsibility to attend appointments to discuss work, may have their benefits reduced by 40% instead. This will then range from £3.20 per day to £5.20 per day.
If you receive additional amounts on top of the standard allowance rate, such as housing costs, these will still be paid as usual. people who are caring for young children or disabled people, adopting a child, pregnant or recently had a baby may also have less money deducted if they are sanctioned.
The duration of the sanction hinges on the reason behind it and the number of previous sanctions you’ve had. High level sanctions can last for up to 182 days, roughly six months.
This length of sanction is typically for failures related to securing paid work, such as not applying or accepting a job offer when instructed to without a valid reason, if you voluntarily leave a job, or due to misconduct.
Conversely, the lowest level of sanctions are applied if you fail to attend an appointment without a valid reason when it’s your sole responsibility. This sanction will usually last from the date of the original appointment until the day before you contact the department to arrange a new one.
To dodge a sanction in the first place, the DWP advises contacting them immediately if you’re unable to meet your claimant commitment. You must provide your reason for being unable to do this and the department will decide if it is acceptable to avoid having your payment reduced.
Further information about what errors will result in certain levels of sanctions, and how long they will last as a consequence, can be found on the Gov.uk website. If you disagree with a sanction decision, or have more evidence, you can request a review, known as a mandatory reconsideration.
If you’re sanctioned and consequently can’t afford necessities such as rent, heating, food or hygiene needs, you might be eligible to request a hardship payment. However, this will need to be repaid through future Universal Credit payments.
Whilst under sanction, you may also lose other entitlements associated with your Universal Credit benefit. For instance, if you were receiving assistance with NHS costs.