Ask DWP to review their decision that you must repay a hardship payment
How to ask the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to review a previous request to stop (waive) Recoverable Hardship Payment repayments made between 1 January 2014 and 11 January 2021.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
This scheme is for people who received a Recoverable Hardship Payment from Universal Credit. You would only have received a hardship payment if your Universal Credit was reduced because of a sanction or fraud penalty.
You might be eligible for a refund if DWP refused a request from you to consider either:
- stopping (‘waiving’) your repayments, or
- reviewing the rate of repayment
Eligibility
You can ask DWP to review its decision not to stop the repayment of your hardship payment if all of the following apply:
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between 1 January 2014 and 11 January 2021 you asked Universal Credit or DWP Debt Management to waive the repayment of a hardship payment, or reconsider the rate of recovery, and
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DWP refused your request or refused to consider the request
You will also need to show that either:
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you could not afford to repay the hardship payment at that time, or
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it had a significant effect at the time on your or your family’s health or wellbeing – this means that it caused a health condition or made a health condition worse
How to apply
Fill in the .
You must apply by 4 May 2025.
You will need to provide evidence from the time you made the initial request. It will need to show that:
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you could not afford to repay your hardship payment, or
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the hardship payment affected your or your family’s health or wellbeing
This could include:
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financial information from the time, such as bank statements, information about loans, or letters from creditors
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information from a doctor or other medical professional saying that repaying the money caused a health condition or made it worse
You will also need to provide information about your income and living costs at the time. If you do not have all of this information, you can still apply. However, it will help your application if you can give as much information as possible.
You can also write a letter that answers the questions on the form.
Send the form and other documents to:
Freepost DWP UNIVERSAL CREDIT FULL SERVICE.
Contact us
If you are having difficulty or would like support in completing the application, call the scheme helpline:
Universal Credit Recoverable Hardship Payment (RHP) scheme helpline
Telephone: 0800 158 5557
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 328 5644
British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer - find out how to use the service on mobile or tablet.
Welsh Language: 0800 158 5557
Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm
What happens next
DWP will contact you within 6 weeks of receiving your application to let you know it has been received.
They will decide whether you should receive a refund of your repayments. They may contact you for more information.
They will send you a decision about your application within 13 weeks of receiving it.
Why this is happening
DWP has reviewed its policy about when it asks for a Universal Credit hardship payment to be repaid.
Updates to this page
Last updated 19 November 2024 + show all updates
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Added link to new Recoverable Hardship Payments page.
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First published.