DWP PIP and Universal Credit warning as certain travel rules could stop your payments
People claiming benefits like Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit could have unknowingly put their income at risk this summer due to a new reporting system at the DWP.
Holidays and time spent outside of the UK can have a bigger impact on some benefits over others, with Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP) being particularly at risk. While this isn’t news to many claimants, some may be unknowingly putting their payments at risk.
UC claimants have to formally report their trip to the DWP, which has included an option to declare “any past, present or future visits” to countries outside Britain. UC recipients must inform the department if they’re going abroad in the next 30 days or if they’ve already been on holiday since their claim started. They will need to provide the reason for their trip, the dates they were away and the destination they went to.
UC claimants can go abroad for up to one month at a time and must be back home living in the UK for at least a month in between these trips. They can spend an additional month abroad if a close relative dies while they’re away and it wouldn’t be reasonable for them to return home any earlier. People going abroad for medical treatment or so they or their child can recuperate from an illness are allowed to be away for up to six months.
However, if it’s found their absence doesn’t meet the criteria their UC entitlement could be reduced to zero by the next payment date. The department noted that most cases won’t be reduced to this extreme, and it won’t be terminated so you won’t have to go through the application process again. However, they warned: “You need to report changes as soon as they happen. Any delay may mean you receive too much money and will have to make a repayment. You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.”
People on PIP, Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance must tell the DWP if they’re away for four weeks or more than four weeks but they can generally keep receiving benefits for up to 13 weeks abroad. This limit is also doubled if their trip is four medical treatments.