The Claimant Commitment

One of the basic conditions of entitlement to UC is the acceptance of a Claimant Commitment. This is a record of the claimant’s responsibilities in relation to their award. In the vast majority of cases where a couple claim, both members must accept this commitment. It is updated and reviewed regularly. Each time it is changed the claimant must accept the new commitment.

The claimant is given a copy of the commitment at their work search interview. If it is not accepted, the claim will be closed.

The commitment must state what will happen if the claimant fails to meet their responsibilities. This could be a cut in benefit, or sanction, which can last for up to three years.

Unions are concerned that, even if they are already in work, their members could be forced to seek another job or additional hours if they earn less than 35 times the National Minimum Wage (NMW). This is called “in-work conditionality”. There is also concern about the number of hours parents with young children are expected to work each week.

However, the director general of Universal Credit, Neil Couling, confirmed in October 2018 that anyone earning less than this figure will not, for now, be subject to in-work conditionality. Public services union UNISON welcomed an assurance that in work conditionality would be paused but said this was still a concern for the future.