BENEFITS BLOW
Warning for anyone claiming Universal Credit as 116,000 have payments cut or stopped
Scroll down to find out what you can do if you're affected
TENS of thousands on Universal Credit have had payments stopped or slashed over just a four week period.
The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that 116,015 on the benefit had sanctions in February.
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This was up from 109,755 in January and the highest figure since November.
Overall, 5.5% of Universal Credit claimants who could have had sanctions in February had them, up from 5.4% in January.
Sanctions are issued by the DWP if someone on Universal Credit doesn't abide by the rules of their Claimant Commitment.
A Claimant Commitment lists the responsibilities you must carry out in order to carry on receiving Universal Credit.
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This includes attending appointments with your work coach, updating your CV and job hunting.
If you're issued a sanction by the DWP, it can see your Universal Credit payments reduced or stopped completely.
You are sanctioned daily with different rates applying depending on your circumstances.
For example, payments are reduced by 100% of the Universal Credit standard allowance rate for each day the sanction is in place.
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However, if you are aged 16 or 17 your payments are reduced by 40% of the standard allowance rate.
Any additional amounts you get on top of your standard allowance are still paid to you while you're being sanctioned - for example, the carer's element.
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As an example, someone on Universal Credit who is under 25 and single sees their payments reduced by £10.40 per day if they're sanctioned.
For someone on the benefit who is over 25 and single, they are sanctioned £13.10 per day.
The length of sanction you receive can range from seven days to six months.
How long you are sanctioned for depends on the severity of the sanction.
There are four levels of sanction: lowest, low, medium and high.
Reasons you can be sanctioned include:
- failing to apply for or accept a job without good reason or losing a job due to misconduct (high sanction level)
- not being available for work or not taking action to get paid or better paid work without good reason (medium sanction level)
- failing to take a specified action which might lead to better pay or failing to meet a work-focused interview requirement (low sanction level)
- failing to attend a work-focused interview without good reason (lowest sanction level)
You can find out more about sanctions via www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-sanctions.
How to appeal a sanction
If you think you've been sanctioned unfairly you can contact the DWP and ask for a "mandatory reconsideration".
You have one month from when you were notified about the sanction to do so.
If you've been sanctioned unfairly, the first thing you must do is check the level of sanction and for how long your money has been reduced.
You'll then need to contact the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration if you think they've made the wrong decision.
Citizens Advice says you should have been told:
- Why you’ve received a sanction
- The level of sanction you’ve been given
- How long the sanction will last
- How much money will be taken away from your Universal Credit payment
- The date the sanction decision was made
It is still worth applying for a mandatory reconsideration if you have missed the one month deadline for a good reason, such as being in hospital.
There are several ways you can apply for a mandatory reconsideration - just remember to include as much supporting evidence as possible.
If you have an online Universal Credit account, you can write a message to the DWP explaining why you disagree with the decision.
You can also print off and fill out the CRMR1 mandatory reconsideration request form on Gov.uk but remember to allow time for your letter to get to the DWP ahead of your deadline window.
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You can also call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644.
Letters should be sent to DWP Complaints, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 2GY.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity works out what you could get.
Entitledto's determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data.
You can use to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
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