To qualify for UC, you will have to meet certain work-related conditions and requirements. These are recorded in a claimant commitment, and you must continue to meet these requirements to avoid sanctions and continue to receive your UC payments. To be entitled to UC, you (and your partner, if applicable) need to accept a claimant commitment which lists your responsibilities. These may include:
- Work-related requirements
- Warnings about sanctions
- Duty to notify changes in circumstances
The work-related requirements you have to undertake will depend upon your individual circumstances. If you have a partner, each of you may have different requirements. There are four work-related requirements that could apply:
- Work-focused interviews – this means having interviews with your work coach to help make it more likely you will find work.
- Work preparation – this means taking particular actions set by your work coach to help your chances of finding work, for example undertaking training, updating your CV or developing a business plan.
- Work search – this means taking all reasonable steps to find paid work, more work or better paid work.
- Work availability – this means being available to take up work or attend an interview
If you are placed in the LCWRA group after the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), then you will have no work-related requirements, much like the ESA Support Group. You will still need to sign a claimant commitment to confirm your duty to notify changes of circumstances. If you were receiving the support component within your ESA when you moved to UC, or if you are terminally ill, you should receive this component from the start of your claim and so should not have any work-related requirements from the outset.
If you are placed in the LCW group after the WCA, then you will have a work-focused interview requirement and a work preparation requirement included in your claimant commitment. You will not have to be available for work or look for work.
If you apply for UC due to sickness or disability and you were not previously entitled to ESA, then, even if you are supplying fit notes to Universal Credit, you do not automatically count as having limited capability for work until you have had a WCA. The exception to this is people who are terminally ill, who should be found to have LCWRA as soon as evidence is provided. For everyone else, until the outcome of this, you should make sure that your UC work coach knows how your illness affects what you can do and ask for their discretion in deciding what requirements you are subject to.
There are some situations where you may be able to qualify for UC without accepting a claimant commitment. These are:
- You lack the capacity to agree to a claimant commitment. In this situation, you may have an appointee to deal with your claim, but they cannot sign a claimant commitment on your behalf.
- The DWP considers there are exceptional circumstances that mean you cannot sign a claimant commitment at the moment – for example, if you are in hospital or have a domestic emergency
- If you are terminally ill (your death from a progressive disease can reasonably be expected within 12 months).
