Universal credit sanctions

You’ll be sent a ‘sanction notification’ letter or digital message through your universal credit online account, telling you:

• why you’ve been sanctioned
• what level of sanction you’ve been given based on your work-related group
• how long the sanction will last
• how much money will be taken from your universal credit payment
• the date of the sanction decision

The amount by which your universal credit will be cut depends on your age and if you’re single or not. It shouldn’t be more than your standard allowance if you’re single and no more than half of your standard allowance if you’re in a couple.

If you’re single and under 25, your sanction is £10.20 per day of the sanction.

If you’re single and over 25, your sanction is £12.90 per day of the sanction.

If you’re in a couple and one or both of you is over 25, your sanction will be £10.10 per day if only one of you has been sanctioned. 

If you’re in a couple and you’re both under 25, your sanction will be £8 per day if only one of you has been sanctioned. 

You might have less money taken off your universal credit if you're only 16 or 17 years old or if you’re only supposed to take part in work-focused interviews.

You’ll usually be sanctioned for not doing something you said you would in your claimant commitment. 

There are four types of sanction: 

• lowest level
• low level
• medium level
• higher level

The sanctions you can be given also depend on the work-related group you’re in so check you’ve been given the right one:

• no work-related requirements – you can’t be sanctioned
• work-focused interview only – you can only get the lowest-level sanction
• work preparation only – you can only get a low-level sanction
• all work-related requirements – you can get a low, medium or higher-level sanction

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) assesses each case individually to determine if there is a ‘good reason’ for not upholding the claimant commitment.

Example of a lowest-level sanction

• failing to attend a work-focused interview at the jobcentre if you’re in the interview group 

Examples of low-level sanctions

• failing to attend a work-focused interview at the jobcentre if you’re in the work preparation group
• refusing to attend a training scheme
• not applying for a particular job vacancy
• failing to sign on
• failing to report work-related changes

Examples of medium-level sanctions

• failing to take ‘all reasonable action’ to get paid work including better paid or extra work
• failing to meet the work availability requirement e.g. being able and willing to start immediately

Examples of higher-level sanctions

• failing to take part in the mandatory work activity scheme
• failing to apply for a paid job without good reason
• failing to take up a paid job offer without good reason
• stopping work because of misconduct, or voluntarily without good reason
• taking a lower wage without good reason or because of misconduct

The length of your sanction will depend on your sanction level, your age and if you’ve been sanctioned in the last 364 days.

Multiple sanctions usually run straight after each other, not at the same time. The maximum time you can be sanctioned for is 182 days (6 months). 

Lowest-level sanctions

Your sanction will run from the date you failed to meet the work-related activity until you do it, or until you no longer need to e.g. your universal credit claim ends or you change work-related requirement group.

Low-level sanctions

You’ll be sanctioned from the date you failed to meet the work-related activity until you do it, or until you no longer need to, plus an extra 7, 14 or 28 days.

The amount of extra time you’ll be sanctioned for depends on your age and if you’ve had previous sanctions:

• 7 days if you’re 16 or 17 
• 7 days for your first low-level sanction
• 14 days for your second low-level sanction
• 28 days for your third low-level sanction

Medium-level sanctions

If you’re 18 or over, you’ll usually be sanctioned for 28 days. This rises to 91 days (3 months) for any further medium-level sanctions.

If you’re 16 or 17, you’ll usually be sanctioned for 7 days. This rises to 14 days for any further medium-level sanctions.

Higher-level sanctions

You’ll be sanctioned for 91 days (3 months) for your first higher-level sanction. This rises to 182 days (6 months) for any further higher-level sanctions.

Check you’ve been given the right level of sanction and sanctioned for the right amount of time.

You can ask for the sanction to be reconsidered if you think there’s a mistake.

If the sanction means you’re struggling with money, you can apply for a hardship payment to help cover the cost of food and bills. See what other help you could get. 

If you don’t think you should have been sanctioned, you can challenge the decision. 

Ask DWP for mandatory reconsideration through your journal or over the phone. 

You’ll need to be quick as, officially, you only have a month to do this. 

But if you miss this deadline, it’s still worth asking for the decision to be looked at again if you have a good reason.

Explain why you don’t think you should have been sanctioned – we give some examples of arguments you can use in the next section.

If DWP don’t change their mind, you can appeal to an independent tribunal within a month. 

You can still try to appeal after this, but your request might be refused.

Arguments against your sanction

You did the task DWP says you didn’t

Ask DWP to reconsider and give them evidence that you did the task e.g. a confirmation letter that you went on work experience. 

You had a good reason for not doing the task 

DWP has to consider your circumstances. You’ll need to show evidence but you shouldn’t be sanctioned for:

• sickness, disability or ill health
• mental health problems or mental stress
• significant risk of harm to your health
• childcare responsibilities
• unexpected personal crisis e.g. bereavement, caring for someone at short notice or an emergency like a burglary
• domestic violence
• learning difficulties or you find it hard to read, write or do maths
• legal reasons e.g. you failed a DBS check
• religious or conscientious beliefs e.g. you’re Muslim and you’ve been offered a job in a non-halal slaughterhouse
  
  

You’ve been sanctioned for something that wasn’t in your claimant commitment

You can argue you didn’t have to do the activity because it wasn’t in your agreement. 

Your claimant commitment wasn’t suitable for your circumstances

Any tasks in your claimant commitment should be manageable and realistic in light of any long-term illness, disability or mental health problems. 

Your work coach and DWP shouldn’t pressure you into tasks that aren’t realistic.

If your claimant commitment wasn’t achievable from the start, you’ll have to explain why you agreed and signed it. 

You weren’t told about an appointment

DWP should tell you about any appointments by letter, phone, text, email, your universal credit journal or in person. This includes telling you what the appointment is for, when it is and whether you’ll face sanctions if you don’t go.

You’re in the all-work-related requirements group and have certain things going on in your life

You shouldn’t be sanctioned for not complying with your work search and availability requirements if:

• you’re a victim of domestic abuse
• you’re being treated for drug or alcohol problems
• you’re under police protection
• you’re unfit to work for a short time because of illness or injury
• you’re working and your earnings are high enough
• you had to go to court as a witness or defendant 
• you’ve had a bereavement or are arranging a funeral
• you have government-approved public duties e.g. volunteer firefighting
• you have childcare responsibilities
• you had an emergency at home e.g. flooding or burglary
• your child has died or been the victim of violence
• you need time to prepare for work
• you were temporarily away from Great Britain
• you were sent to prison
  
  

If you’ve been sanctioned for not taking a job, stopping work or losing pay

You’ll usually get a higher-level sanction if you refuse to take a job, voluntarily stop work or accept lower wages, but there are some exceptions:

• the vacancy was only offered because of a strike
• you voluntarily stopped working or lost pay because of a strike
• you were on a trial period 
• you work in the armed or reserve forces
• you’ve been made redundant, laid off or told to reduce your hours
• your earnings are high enough that you don’t need to meet the work search or availability requirements
• if you’ve started getting universal credit again after a break of up to six months, you can’t be sanctioned for misconduct that took place before your payments restarted

if you stopped work or accepted lower pay before getting universal credit, you can only be sanctioned for these things if the length of the sanction longer than the period between the day after you committed the sanctionable offence and the date of your universal credit claim

If you’re struggling to meet your basic needs, e.g. housing, heating or food, you can apply for a loan from DWP called a hardship payment. The loan will be about 60% of the amount you were sanctioned in the last month.

You can apply for it if you’re over 18, or over 16 if you’ve been sanctioned because of fraud but you’ll need to give evidence to support your application.

You’ll also need to:

• show you’ve tried to get money from somewhere else e.g. asking friends or family, or looking for other benefits
• have stopped spending money on anything that isn’t essential e.g. leisure or entertainment
• have done all your work-related tasks in the week before applying

You’ll pay back the hardship payment from your universal credit after your sanction ends. Your standard allowance will usually be lowered by 25% each month until the debt’s paid off in full.

If paying back the hardship loan will cause you serious financial problems, DWP might let you pay back less or cancel your repayments. Speak to an independent advice service, e.g. Citizens Advice or Turn2Us, to find out your options.

How do I apply for a hardship payment?

Ask DWP how to apply for a hardship payment. It may vary depending on where you live.

You can get in touch with them by phoning the universal credit helpline, contacting your nearest jobcentre or updating your universal credit journal. 

If DWP decide you aren’t eligible for a hardship payment, you can ask them to reconsider their decision.