If your Universal Credit is reviewed

Your Universal Credit claim might be reviewed to make sure you’re getting the right payment and support. This can happen at any time while you’re claiming Universal Credit.

You might be getting the wrong amount of Universal Credit if your details are not up to date. Make sure you report any changes in your circumstances when they happen.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

What happens at a review

If your claim is going to be reviewed, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claim review agent will contact you in your online journal. They’ll ask you to both:

  • send some documents
  • have a phone appointment

During the review, your Universal Credit payment will only be stopped if one of the following applies:

  • you do not provide the documents
  • you do not attend your telephone appointment
  • you’re not eligible for Universal Credit

The review might find that:

  • you’re being paid too much Universal Credit
  • you’re entitled to more Universal Credit

Contact the claim review agent if you need support with:

  • your Universal Credit claim review
  • providing any of the evidence requested
  • getting your details up to date

What documents you’ll need to send

You’ll get a message in your online journal asking to see your ID and bank statements.

Looking at your payments and transactions will help your claim review agent understand if your details are up to date.

You might also need to share documents about your circumstances and the amount of Universal Credit you’re getting. For example you might need to provide documents about your:

  • housing costs
  • earnings or other income
  • self-employment
  • savings
  • childcare costs
  • children
  • student finance
  • caring responsibilities

The claim review agent will need to see your statements and documents without any changes or edits.

If you have questions about how to provide the right documents in the right format, ask the claim review agent for help in your online journal.

Your phone appointment

You’ll be invited to a phone appointment to discuss your claim.

Contact the claim review agent in your journal if you have any questions about the phone appointment.

If you’re not getting the right amount of Universal Credit

The review might find that you’re getting too much or too little in your Universal Credit payment.

If your Universal Credit needs to change, you’ll get a message in your online journal. Your future payments will be changed and you may get:

  • an extra payment to make up what you’ve missed out on
  • money taken off your payments

If you disagree with a decision made during your review you can challenge the decision.

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