Thousands of Universal Credit claimants face penalties within DAYS over job search rules

BRITS claiming Universal Credit could have their benefits cut within days as a result of new rules about accepting work.

The conditions attached to unemployment benefits were overhauled last month to slash the amount of time people will be given to accept a job offer.

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As of February 8, benefit claimants have just four weeks to try and get a role they have previous experience for, before they are expected to accept alternative offers of employment.

Previously, they had been given three months to find a job of their choosing.

If they don’t make “reasonable efforts” to do so, such as sending applications or attending interviews, or if they were offered a job in a different industry and they turned it down, they could have some of their Universal Credit payments docked. 

That means that from tomorrow – four weeks after the new rules were introduced – people could start seeing a hit to their benefits.

Announcing the change, the government said: “The changes in the regulations aim to support people into work faster as we recover from the pandemic.

“If people are not able to find work in their previous occupation or sector, they are expected to look for work in another suitable sector and this will be part of their requirements for receiving their benefit payment.”

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How much benefit will I lose if I turn down a job?

There are different penalties depending on which “conditionality group” you are in.

These groups are based on your capability and circumstances, and whether you are deemed able to work.

The work-related activities that you will have to do will depend on your conditionality group.

You can speak to your work coach to find out which conditionality group applies to you.

The lowest level sanctions may be applied until you fulfil a job-related activity, such as taking part in an interview.

But in the worst cases, you may lose some of your benefits for 182 days – six months – if you have failed to meet the work criteria more than once.

Exactly how much you will lose depends on how much you receive. In some cases it could be up to 20%.

If you are going to have your payments reduced, you will receive a letter to warn you.

How to avoid a Universal Credit sanction

You can avoid being hit by a benefit penalty by doing the activities that you have agreed to do in your Universal Credit commitment.

This could include things such as going to meetings with your work coach and taking part in interviews.

If you can’t make a meeting, you can contact your work coach to rearrange, as long as you let them know in plenty of time.

You should also do everything you have agreed with your work coach to do to find work, such as attending a training course, updating your CV or completing a job search.

It is worth keeping a written record of everything you do, such as a diary of your job applications and interviews.

What if I want to refuse a job offer?

If you think you’ve got a good reason for refusing a job offer, you need to talk to your work coach about it straight away.

There’s no definition of what counts as a good reason, but the DWP should be reasonable and take into account your circumstances and views.

Things such as an excessively long commute, a religious or ethical objection to the type of work, or an impact on your caring responsibilities could all be legitimate reasons to turn down work.

It is also possible to appeal a decision about a sanction if you think it’s unfair.

You can ask for a “mandatory reconsideration” of your Universal Credit sanction within a month of the date of a decision. 

You can do this by putting a note in your online journal, over the phone, face to face or in writing.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk