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Guidance

Universal Credit and your claimant commitment

How the Universal Credit claimant commitment works and what is expected of claimants in return for getting Universal Credit.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published:
28 March 2013
Last updated:
29 April 2026
Show all updates

  1. Replaced the table on how the age of a claimant's youngest child affects their responsibilities, with a link to where the information is already available. This is to reduce duplication. There has been no change in law or policy.

  2. Added a link to the new Universal Credit sanctions page.

  3. Added information about when your claimant commitment work-related activity can be reduced or removed.

  4. From 25 October 2023, if you are the lead carer of a child aged between 3 and 12, you will be expected to work up to 30 hours a week, or spend up to 30 hours a week on work related activities.

  5. Added a section about the impact of the age of your child, and a definition of a work coach.

  6. People near the end of their life who have been told by a medical professional that they might have less than 12 months to live, do not need to make a Claimant Commitment and they will not be sanctioned. This has changed from 6 months.

  7. Added call outs to explain a change to the rules for claiming Universal Credit that mean if a medical professional has said you have less than 6 months to live, you will not need a Claimant Commitment or face sanctions.

  8. Removed the wording 'You will not get a sanction if you cannot keep to your Claimant Commitment because of coronavirus (COVID-19)'.

  9. Updated to reflect change in higher level sanction length from 3 years to 6 months.

  10. Removed references to Universal Credit full service and live service.

  11. Updated to reflect changes to Universal Credit from April 2016 (English only, Welsh to follow).

  12. Revised version with new information about the roll-out of Universal Credit.

  13. Published November 2014 edition of the leaflet.

  14. Updated to include the latest information about the expansion of Universal Credit

  15. Detail updated to provide more information about what is in the document

  16. First published.

Documents

Universal Credit and your claimant commitment

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Details

This guide explains that if you claim Universal Credit you’ll need to accept a claimant commitment before you can receive your payment.

It explains:

  • what the claimant commitment is
  • the kinds of things that you will be required to do in return for receiving Universal Credit, depending on your individual circumstances
  • what will happen if you fail to do what you’ve accepted in your claimant commitment

If a medical professional has said you have less than 12 months to live, you will not need a claimant commitment.

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