People claiming Universal Credit can be forced to return home from holiday by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or risk having their payments stopped.
As reported by Birmingham Live, there are approximately 5.8 million people throughout the UK who claim Universal Credit. People claiming the benefit are also eligible for the £650 cost of living payment, the first instalment of which will be paid into accounts this month.
With people across Scotland heading off for a summer getaway, there will be many Universal Credit recipients who are out of the UK. It is important that those who claim benefits from the DWP are aware of the rules before going on holiday.
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Failing to comply with these rules may mean that your payments stop if you not return home immediately. In most cases, this is due to claimants missing work or a job interview.
Read on for a full roundup of what you need to know before heading off on holiday if you are a Universal Credit claimant.
Do I have to tell DWP I'm going on holiday?
If you make a Universal Credit claim, you are required to be in the UK on the day you submit it.
Before booking a holiday or going to the airport, you should inform the DWP of your intention to leave the country. Holidays can be up to a month in length, but claimants must abide by the rules they agreed to when applying.
These rules include providing evidence that you are seeking work. This can consist of a list of jobs that you have applied for.
According to the DWP, claimants must continue meeting these conditions even when on holiday. This means that if you claim Universal Credit, you must apply for vacancies and attend interviews even on holiday.
Can they really make me come back home?
The DWP states: "Claimants must be prepared to end their absence abroad to attend job interviews or start work. We have never asked anyone to come back early but it is a possibility."
As a result, if you are holiday when you are offered an interview or given a start date for a new job and it can not be rearranged, you are required to head home to attend.
A DWP official told Birmingham Live: "Claimants must prioritise looking for work and taking up a job. And a lot of claimants who have been abroad have managed to do that."
They added: "People must comply with their Claimant Commitment and still have to do that while abroad. If a claimant is in an intensive work search regime, they are expected to spend 35 to 37 hours a week looking for work."
Can they stop my Universal Credit?
According to the DWP: "There are no limits to the number of periods away of up to one month that are allowed in each year. But when any period of time abroad exceeds a month, we are notified and have to decide if the extended absence can be approved."
If a holiday longer than a month is not approved by the DWP, then your Universal Credit assessment period may be reduced to nil. This means that you will not receive any money.
Your claim will not be completely terminated, meaning you will not be required to start a new application. However, you will not receive any payments for the period you are away.
In some scenarios, the DWP may approve an extended absence, during which the requirement to look for work will be paused. This includes situations such as bereavements and medical treatment.
If a close relative such as a partner or child dies whilst the claimant is abroad, the requirement to look for work may be paused for up to two months. This happens when it would not be reasonable for the claimant to return home within a month.
If a claimant is receiving medical treatment or is accompanying their partner, child or qualifying young person who is receiving such treatment, the DWP can consider agreeing to an extended absence for up to six months. If the claimant can provide evidence of this, their work-related requirements can be switched off while they are abroad.
Work requirements can also be switched off for Crown servants and HM Armed Forces who are posted overeseas, and for offshore workers (such as those on oil rigs).
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