Universal Credit Sanctions - What if I don't think I should have been sanctioned?

If you do not think you should have been sanctioned, you should challenge the decision.

There is a two-step process for challenging decisions:

• Mandatory reconsideration
• Appeal

Mandatory reconsideration

First, you will need to request a mandatory reconsideration . You can do this through your journal or over the phone. You should explain why you think you should not have been sanctioned. This is your chance to explain there is a good reason why you didn't do what you were supposed to do or to explain that the DWP has made a mistake and you did do what you were supposed to. You only have one month to do this, so you need to do it quickly. If you have missed the deadline, you should still ask for the decision to be looked at again.

Appeal

If the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not change its decision, you can appeal to an independent tribunal. Again, you only have one month to act in, so you need to submit your appeal as soon as you can. It can be a good idea to get independent advice about appealing a decision. If you have missed the deadline, you should still try to appeal but your appeal might not go ahead.

Good reason 

If you had a good reason for failing to do what you were supposed to do, then you shouldn't be sanctioned. You should explain it in detail in your request for mandatory reconsideration .

Some examples of ‘good reason’ include:

• Having the wrong work-related requirements applied to you
• Being in hospital, or attending a medical, dental or other important appointment which would have been unreasonable to rearrange
• Temporary circumstances such as attending a funeral or court
• Childcare issues
• Having experienced domestic abuse

If you failed to do what you were supposed to do because the expectations were always unreasonable, you should explain this in your request for mandatory reconsideration . This can be a good reason for failing to do what you were supposed to do. For example, if you have caring responsibilities that your work coach knew about but they weren’t taken into account when setting your claimant commitment.