Failing to look for work
You must look for work if you’re expected to do so under the Income Support rules. This includes:
- participate in training
- take part in work experience arranged for you
- attend interviews
- take up any suitable work you’re offered
If you don't, our officers have the power to:
- reduce or stop your Income Support payments
- reduce or stop your entire household Income Support payments, including payments for rent and special payments
- prevent people who leave work without a good reason from getting the adult component of Income Support
Written warning
If you don’t do enough to look for work, you can receive a written warning. Cuts to your payments will get longer if you ignore this warning.
Once you receive a warning, it’ll stay active for at least 1 year.
Your benefit will be cut if you breach the written warning.
Penalties if you fail to look for work
If you don’t do enough to look for work, your benefit will be cut.
If you repeatedly ignore written warnings about your behaviour, all payments to your household will eventually stop.
In additional, a person who reaches the third or subsequent breach of warning will need to show 42 days (6 weeks) compliance with job seeking requirements before they can claim Income Support again.
All warnings are in place for 1 year from the date of receipt.
If the adult component is removed, this will also include any additional amount paid to a single parent.
| First time | Warning | None |
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| Second time | First breach of warning | Adult component removed for 2 weeks |
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| Third time | Second breach of warning | Adult component removed for 4 weeks |
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| Fourth time | Third breach of warning | All Income Support stopped for 6 weeks minimum |
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| Subsequent times | Subsequent breach | All Income Support stopped for 6 weeks minimum |
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Changes in your circumstances
Tell us if your circumstances change so we can adjust your claim.
Tell Income Support about changes of circumstances
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