When you’re awarded Universal Credit, you must sign a claimant commitment to say that you agree to do as much as you can to find work or find better paid work. If you don’t keep to the terms of the claimant commitment, it’s possible that your benefit may sanctioned. This means it can be reduced or stopped.
This page tells you more about how to challenge a decision when you’ve been sanctioned.
What happens if you’re sanctioned
If you’re sanctioned, a decision maker will change the decision by supersession. This means the decision will be changed from the date when the DWP first became aware of the sanction.
If you’re sanctioned, you might want to challenge the decision. For example, if you had good reason for failing to comply with a work-related requirement or the decision maker got the facts wrong.
How to challenge a sanction
If you’re sanctioned and believe that you had a good reason for not being able to meet the work-related requirements, you should ask for a reconsideration. A reconsideration means a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision maker will look at the decision again to see if it is correct.
If the outcome of the reconsideration is successful the decision maker can revise the decision and you’ll be paid any backdated money you’re owed.
If you don’t agree with the outcome of a reconsideration, you can appeal against the decision.
If the decision maker got the facts wrong
If the decision maker got the facts wrong, the decision can also be changed by revision. This means you’ll be paid any benefit you’re owed from the date when it was stopped.