Universal Credit claim closure for missed appointment

Yes, the Department for Work and Pensions can close your Universal Credit claim if you miss an appointment, but the position is more nuanced than a simple automatic closure, and there are important protections and steps you can take.

How this works in practice:

When you make a claim for Universal Credit, you agree to a claimant commitment. That commitment will typically include attending appointments at the Jobcentre or with your work coach as and when required. These are known as work-related requirements. Missing an appointment without good reason is treated as a failure to meet those requirements.

What actually happens when you miss an appointment:

The usual consequence is not immediate closure of your claim. Instead, the DWP will normally apply a sanction. A sanction means your Universal Credit payment is reduced, sometimes to zero for the standard allowance element, for a set period. The length of the sanction depends on whether it is a first, second, or third failure, and whether it is classed as a lower-level, medium-level, or higher-level sanction. Missing a Jobcentre appointment without good reason is typically treated as a lower-level sanction, which lasts until you re-comply and then for a further fixed period.

However, there is a separate and more serious possibility. If the DWP decides that you have failed to accept a claimant commitment at all, or if you fail to attend an initial appointment that is needed to establish your claim, your claim can be closed entirely rather than just sanctioned. This sometimes happens where someone does not attend the initial new claim interview and does not make contact to rearrange.

Good reason:

If you had a good reason for missing the appointment, you should not be sanctioned. Examples of good reason include illness, a medical emergency, childcare difficulties, transport problems, or a genuine misunderstanding about the date or time. The DWP decision maker is supposed to take all your circumstances into account.

What to do if you have missed an appointment:

1. Contact the Jobcentre or your work coach as soon as possible. Explain why you missed the appointment and ask for it to be rearranged. The sooner you make contact, the better your position.

2. If you are told a sanction has been applied, you will receive a letter or notification in your Universal Credit journal. You can provide your reasons for missing the appointment and ask for the decision to be reconsidered.

3. If the sanction is upheld, you have the right to request a mandatory reconsideration. You must do this within one month of the decision, though late requests can sometimes be accepted.

4. If the mandatory reconsideration does not go in your favour, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support). There is no fee for this appeal.

5. While a sanction is in place, you may be able to get a hardship payment from the DWP if you cannot meet your basic needs. This is recoverable, meaning it will be deducted from future payments, but it can help in the short term.

Key practical points:

If your claim has actually been closed rather than sanctioned, you should check whether the DWP treated it as a failure to accept your claimant commitment or a failure to attend a required initial interview. If so, you may need to make a fresh claim, but you should still challenge the closure by mandatory reconsideration if you believe you had good reason.

Keep a record of everything, including any messages in your journal, any letters, and any evidence of why you missed the appointment such as a GP note, hospital letter, or evidence of transport disruption.

If you are vulnerable, have a disability, or have mental health difficulties that contributed to the missed appointment, make sure the DWP is aware of this. There is additional guidance requiring decision makers to take vulnerability into account, and reasonable adjustments should be made.

If you need help navigating the process, Citizens Advice and local welfare rights services can assist with mandatory reconsiderations and appeals at no cost to you.