Guidance

Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions: how to keep your benefit payment

Updated 26 October 2021

This guidance contains general information about sanctions. How long a sanction lasts and how your payment is affected may change depending on your circumstances. If you get a sanction, you’ll be told what this means for you.

1. How Jobseeker’s Allowance works

Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is a benefit to help you when you’re unemployed and looking for work.

When you claim JSA, you’ll meet one of our work coaches at the jobcentre who’ll help you find work. They’ll find out about your situation and:

• help identify what you must do to find work and confirm it in your Claimant Commitment – this is sometimes called a Jobseeker’s Agreement
• meet you regularly to review your progress

Your work coach may tell you to take part in an employment scheme. Employment schemes are delivered by specialist organisations to help you find and stay in work. Your scheme provider may also identify things you must do to find work.

It’s your responsibility to do all you can to find work. In return, you’ll get your benefit payment and our support. Most people do everything they can. If you do not, your benefit payment could be stopped or your claim could be ended. This is called a ‘sanction’.

2. What you must do to keep your benefit payment

The reason your last job ended will always be checked, and benefit can be stopped if you were dismissed for misconduct or left it without good reason. Once you start to get benefit payment, this will continue as long as you:

• are available for work and agree to do the things in your Claimant Commitment (Jobseeker’s Agreement)
• go to meetings on time with your work coach and take part in interviews
• apply for suitable jobs your work coach tells you about
• do everything your work coach tells you to do to find work, such as attending a training course or updating your CV
• take part in employment schemes when your work coach tells you to – you’ll need to:
  • meet your employment scheme provider on time and do the things they tell you to do to find work
  • still meet your work coach and do what they tell you to do
• do all you can to find work

If you cannot do, or have not done these things, tell your work coach or employment scheme provider why straight away.

You’ll get your benefit payment if you can show you had good reason for not doing what you were told to do. Provide as much information as you can, as quickly as possible. For example, call your work coach as soon as you can before an interview if you cannot attend. Let them know why. Your work coach can use this time to help others find work, and you’ll continue to get your benefit payment if we decide you had good reason for not going.

If you do not do these things, and you do not have good reason, your benefit payment could be stopped or reduced or your claim could be ended.

It’s important that you understand everything you need to do to get your benefit payment and what will happen if you do not. Ask your work coach to explain if you’re not sure.

The reason your benefit payment could be stopped or reduced depends on whether you are getting New Style JSA or income-based JSA.

You will be getting New Style JSA if you applied on or after 27 January 2021.

You will be getting income-based JSA if you applied before 27 January 2021 and have been getting JSA since then without a break.

3. New Style JSA

Your New Style JSA could be stopped or reduced depending on how your last job ended. It could also be stopped or reduced if you do not do something your work coach has asked you to do or what you’ve agreed in your Claimant Commitment, without having a good reason. This is called a sanction.

There are 3 different levels of sanctions and they’re decided based on what you did and how often.

Low level sanctions for New Style JSA

You may get a low level sanction if you do not:

• take part in a meeting with your work coach
• take part in an employment programme
• do something you agreed with your work coach to help you move into or closer to work
• do something to look for work that you agreed with your work coach

Your benefit payment can be stopped or reduced for as long as you do not do what your work coach has asked you to do. So the sooner you do this, the less money you will lose. After this, it will be stopped for a further 7 days, or up to 28 days if you have had another low level sanction in the past year.

You benefit may not be stopped or reduced if you can show you had good reason for not doing any of these things.

Medium level sanctions for New Style JSA

You may get a medium level sanction if you:

• do not do all you can to look for work
• are not available to start work straight away

You benefit may not be stopped or reduced if you can show you had good reason for not doing any of these things.

Sanction	How long your benefit payment will be stopped for
1. First medium level sanction	28 days
2. If you’ve had another medium level sanction in the past year	91 days

High level sanctions for New Style JSA

You may get a high level sanction if you:

• leave your job without a good reason
• lose your job because of your behaviour
• lose pay without a good reason
• lose pay because of your behaviour
• do not apply for a job
• do not accept a job

You benefit may not be stopped or reduced if you can show you had good reason for doing any of these things.

Sanction	How long your benefit payment will be stopped for
1. First high level sanction	Up to 91 days
2. If you’ve had another high level sanction in the past year	Up to 182 days

4. Income-based JSA

Your benefit payment could be stopped for between 4 weeks and 26 weeks (about 6 months). This is called a sanction. There are 3 sanction levels; lower, intermediate or higher level. The level and length of your sanction depends on:

• the reason you’re claiming JSA – for example, if you were dismissed for misconduct from your last job, or left it without good reason
• what you have not done to find work
• whether you’ve received an earlier sanction in the last year, or your claim has been ended, and the reasons for this

Lower and intermediate level sanctions for income-based JSA

You may get a lower level sanction (4 or 13 weeks) if:

• you do not go to meetings on time with your work coach or take part in interviews
• you do not do what your work coach tells you to do to find work, such as attend a training course or update your CV
• you do not take part in employment schemes when your work coach tells you to
• you do not meet your employment scheme provider on time or take actions they tell you to
• you lose an employment scheme place through misconduct or give up a place on a scheme voluntarily.

You may get an intermediate level sanction (4 or 13 weeks), and your claim may be ended, if:

• you are not available for and actively seeking work

Sanction	How long your benefit payment will be stopped for
1. First lower or intermediate level sanction in each 52 week period	4 weeks
2. Each sanction at the same level in the next 2 weeks	4 weeks
3. Any further sanction at the same level within 52 weeks of the last	13 weeks (about 3 months)

Higher level sanctions for income-based JSA

You’ll get a higher level sanction (13 to 26 weeks) if:

• you were dismissed for misconduct from your last job
• you left your last job without good reason
• you do not apply for suitable jobs your work coach or employment scheme adviser tells you about
• you do not take a job that your work coach or employment scheme adviser has told you about if you are offered it

Sanction	How long your benefit payment will be stopped for
1. First higher level sanction in each 52 week period	13 weeks (about 3 months)
2. Each higher level sanction in the next 2 weeks	13 weeks (about 3 months)
3. Another higher level sanction in the next 52 weeks	26 weeks (about 6 months)
4. Each higher level sanction in the next 2 weeks	26 weeks (about 6 months)
5. Another higher level sanction within 52 weeks of your last	26 weeks (about 6 months)

What to do if your income-based JSA is stopped or your claim ended

Do all you can to find work

If your benefit payment is stopped, you should continue to do all you can to find work, including attending interviews with your work coach. If you do not do this, your benefit payment could be stopped for a longer period or your claim could be ended.

If your claim is ended

You cannot reapply for income-based JSA. You will need to apply for Universal Credit.

Housing Benefit and council tax

Your local council may need information from you to ensure you get your Housing Benefit and council tax reduction. If your benefit payment is stopped, or your claim is ended, you should contact them straight away.

Hardship payments

If your income-based JSA is stopped, and you do not have enough money to live on, you may be able to get a hardship payment. This is a reduced amount of JSA.

Contact Jobcentre Plus if you want to understand more about hardship payments and whether you can apply. You’ll only be able to receive a hardship payment if your claim has not been closed and you’re doing all you can to find work.

4. What to do if you disagree with a decision to stop your benefit payment or end your claim

Step 1: Provide us with full information

If you’re told your benefit payment may be stopped, or your claim may be ended, you should provide new information straight away about why you have not done the things you were told to do.

A DWP decision maker, rather than your work coach or employment scheme provider, will decide if you have good reason. If they decide you do not have good reason, they’ll decide how long to stop your benefit payment for, or whether to end your claim.

You can contact Jobcentre Plus to ask why a decision has been made.

Step 2: Ask us to reconsider the decision

If you think a decision is wrong, you can ask us to look at it again within 1 month of it being made.

If you asked us for a written statement of reasons, you’ll have an additional 14 days to ask us to look at the decision again.

Explain why the decision is wrong and show any evidence you have. When we’ve looked at what you’ve told us, we’ll send you a letter to tell you what has been decided and why.

We call this letter a ‘Mandatory Reconsideration Notice’.

Step 3: Appeal

If you disagree with the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice, you can appeal to a tribunal. You must wait for the ‘Mandatory Reconsideration Notice’ before you start an appeal.