Universal Credit Sanctions - How long will a Universal Credit sanction last?

The length of the sanction depends on what you are expected to do to comply with your Universal Credit requirements, and what you did to get the sanction.

There are 4 sanction levels depending on which work-related activity group you're in. 

High level sanctions

High level sanctions apply if you fail to do something related to paid work without a good reason, such as: 

• Not applying for a particular job when told to do so 
• Not accepting a job that's offered 
• Leaving a job or losing pay by choice while claiming Universal Credit or just before you claim 
• Leaving a job or losing pay due to misconduct while claiming Universal Credit or just before you claim 

High level sanctions usually last for 91 days (3 months). If you have had a high level sanction before in the past year but not within the last 14 days, the sanction might last 182 days (about 6 months).  

Special rules about how long your sanction lasts may apply if you left a job or did not take a job offer before you claimed Universal Credit.  

16 and 17 year olds 

If you're aged 16 or 17, a high level sanction usually lasts 14 days. If you have had a high level sanction in the last year, it usually lasts 28 days.  

Medium level sanctions 

Medium level sanctions apply if you fail to do enough to look for work or are not available for work without a good reason, such as: 

• Not applying for a particular job when told to do so 
• Not taking all reasonable steps to find paid work or increase your earnings from work 
• Not being available to go to interviews or start work 
• Not being available and willing to do paid work immediately 

Medium level sanctions usually last for 28 days (4 weeks). If you have had a medium level sanction in the past year but not within the last 14 days, the sanction might last for 91 days (13 weeks). 

16 and 17 year olds 

If you're aged 16 or 17, a medium level sanction usually lasts 7 days. If you have had a medium level sanction in the last year, it usually lasts 14 days 

Low level sanctions 

Low level sanctions apply to most other failures related to not meeting what you are expected to do without a good reason. Examples include: 

Not going to a work focused interview or appointment, and a lowest level sanction doesn't apply 

• Not giving the evidence that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) asks for 
• Not telling DWP about changes to your work such as losing pay 
• Not going on a course that is recommended to help you get ready for work 
• Not taking a specific action to get paid work, or to increase your earnings from work. 

A low level sanction is made up of a fixed period of time (usually 7 days) and the time it takes you to correct the failure. 

For example, Mariam was supposed to sign on Monday but she forgot to go. She doesn’t have a good reason. She goes to sign on Friday instead. This is the first time she has been sanctioned. Her sanction period will be 7 days + 4 days = 11 days. 

If you received a sanction in the last year, the fixed number of extra days added to your next sanction usually depends on how many extra days your most recent sanction included. For example, if the extra days added to your most recent sanction is 7 days, then 14 extra days will be added to the length of your next sanction.  

If your last low level sanction was within the last 14 days, the number of extra days added to your next sanction does not go up. The extra days are the same number as you received for your most recent sanction. 

16 and 17 year olds 

If you are 16 or 17 and didn't receive a low level sanction in the last year, it usually lasts from the day you failed to complete an activity you were sanctioned for, until the day before you complete it.  

If you had a low level sanction in the last 15 days to a year, your sanction usually lasts from the day you failed to complete the activity until the day before you complete it, plus 7 extra days.  

If your last low level sanction was within the last 14 days, your sanction usually lasts from the date you failed to complete the activity you were sanctioned for, until the day before you do the activity, plus the same number of extra days your most recent sanction included.  

Lowest 

Lowest level sanctions apply if your only responsibility is to go to appointments to discuss work, and you don't go without a good reason.  

These sanctions last from the day of the appointment until the day before you contact the DWP to book a new one. You must go to your new appointment.