Appeal a benefit decision
1. How to appeal
How you appeal a benefit decision depends on:
- the type of benefit you applied for
- the date the decision was made
| Benefit | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Housing Benefit | Contact your local council |
| Tax Credits | Ask for a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ |
| Personal Independence Payment (PIP) | Follow the PIP appeals process |
| Child Benefit | Ask for a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ |
| Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) | Contact Student Finance England |
| Universal Credit | Follow the Universal Credit appeals process |
| Budgeting Loans | Write to your local Jobcentre Plus and ask for a review |
| Council Tax Reduction | Contact your local council |
| Disabled Facilities Grant | Ask your local council for their appeals and complaints procedure |
| Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit | Contact your regional Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit centre |
| Constant Attendance Allowance | Contact your regional Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit centre or the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency if you get a war pension |
| Guardian's Allowance | Send an appeal form |
| Vaccine Damage Payment | Contact the Vaccine Damage Payments Unit |
| Compensation Recovery Scheme | Contact the Compensation Recovery Unit |
Other benefits
You must check the date on your decision letter if you're appealing a decision about:
- Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Maternity Allowance
- Winter Fuel Payment
- Child Maintenance
- Sure Start Maternity Grant
- disability premium (Income Support)
- Funeral Payments
There are different ways to appeal if your decision was made:
- before 28 October 2013 (you’ll appeal using the GL24 form)
- on or after 28 October 2013
2. Appeal using form GL24
Check the date on your decision letter - if it’s before 28 October 2013, fill in and send appeal form GL24 to the address on your decision letter.
You must send the form within 1 month of the date of the decision.
You can't use the GL24 form to appeal all benefits - the process is sometimes different.
After you've sent your appeal
Your appeal will be sent to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal.
The tribunal is independent and can change the decision if they think it's wrong.
Late appeals
You can appeal up to 13 months after the date of the original decision if you were:
- ill or in hospital
- coping with bereavement
- outside the UK
- unable to send your appeal form, eg because of a postal strike
You’ll need to explain why the appeal is late.
3. Decisions made on or after 28 October 2013
Check the date on your decision letter - if it’s 28 October 2013 or after, you must usually:
Phone or write to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ask them explain the decision.
Ask for the decision to be looked at again - this known as a 'mandatory reconsideration'.
Appeal the decision if you're unhappy with the mandatory reconsideration.
You can't use this process to appeal all benefits - the process is sometimes different.
Ask for the decision to be explained
You must tell DWP why you disagree with the decision. The telephone number and address will be on your decision letter.
You can ask for a 'written statement of reasons' to explain the decision if you aren’t happy with the explanation during the phone call or you can ask for the decision to be looked at again.
You’ll get a written statement of reasons explaining the decision if you wrote to them. You can ask for the decision to be looked at again If you’re still unhappy with it.
Ask for the decision to be looked at again
You can ask for the decision to be looked at again if you think DWP didn’t have all the facts or got something wrong. This is known as a 'mandatory reconsideration'.
The telephone number and address will be on your decision letter, or you can go to your local Jobcentre Plus.
You should explain why you think the decision is wrong and show any evidence you have to support this.
What happens next
DWP will write to you to tell you they've made a new decision or the decision has not been changed.
They’ll send you 2 copies of the 'mandatory reconsideration notice' which explains the reasons for changing or not changing the decision.
They’ll telephone you if they’re not going to change the decision or going to change only part of it.
Appeal the decision
You can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal if you’re still unhappy.
Fill in form:
- SSCS2 if you’re appealing against a Child Maintenance decision
- SSCS3 if you’re appealing against a Compensation Recovery Scheme decision
- SSCS1 for all other benefits
Send the form and 1 copy of your mandatory reconsideration notice to the address on the form within 1 month of receiving your mandatory reconsideration notice.
After you've sent your appeal
The Social Security and Child Support Tribunal will let you know if they can deal with your case. If they can't, they’ll explain why.
The tribunal is independent and can change the decision if they think it's wrong.
Late appeals
You can appeal up to 13 months after the date of the original decision if you were:
- ill or in hospital
- coping with bereavement
- outside the UK
- unable to send your appeal form, eg because of a postal strike
You'll need to explain why the appeal is late.