Warning for families on Universal Credit going away during school break- rules to follow or your pay could be stopped
TO YOUR BENEFIT Warning for families on Universal Credit going away during school break- rules to follow or your pay could be stopped
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
FAMILIES claiming Universal Credit should be aware of an important rule before they head away during the school holidays.
Failing to report your getaway to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) could lead to your benefits being stopped or even investigated for benefit fraud.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Your benefits could be stopped if you fail to report you holiday
Credit: Getty
You could also be fined between £350 and £5,000, if you don't declare your holiday as a change of circumstance.
What are the rules?
If you claim Universal Credit you can go on holiday for one month and still receive your payments.
This is granted you have told your work coach you are going away and you carry on meeting the conditions of your claim.
That means if you are in an intensive work group, meaning you are required to actively look for work, you must continue to do this even on holiday.
But there are exceptions to this rule, such as going abroad for medical treatment or if a relative passes away.
It is worth noting that other benefits have different rules surrounding a trip abroad.
For example, if you receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP), you can stay abroad for up to 13 weeks, or 26 weeks for medical treatment.
With that in mind, it may be worth checking the specifics for your benefits on the gov.uk website.
Other reasons your benefits may be stopped
And it is not only heading away on holiday that can impact your Universal Credit claim.
Not applying or looking for work can also lead to your payments being stopped.
Disability benefit explained - what you can claim
Those on Universal Credit need to spend 35 hours a week looking for work as part of their Claimant Commitment.
Failing to do this could lead to your benefits being cut.
The same goes if you're not putting the hours in to look.
If your Jobcentre work coach doesn't feel you're doing enough to get back into work, you can be sanctioned.
Meanwhile, rejecting a job offer or quitting your job without good reason can also lead to your payments being slashed.
Claimants must also show up to their appointments on time to avoid sanctions.
What to do if your benefits have been stopped or reduced
If you have been sanctioned, you can appeal your case.
The first thing you must do is check the level of sanction and for how long your money has been reduced.
You'll then need to contact the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration if you think they've made the wrong decision.
To report a change or appeal, you can:
Use your Universal Credit online journal
Call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644
For PIP, call 0800 121 4433
For written appeals or changes, send letters to:
DWP Complaints, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 2GY
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
21 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
UK holiday park reveals major £8.1million makeover plans with new holiday cabins and campsite
Plus, the same company plans to open a new holiday park elsewhere in the UK CAMP OUT UK holiday park reveals major £8.1million makeover plans with new holiday cabins and campsite Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HOLIDAY park has revealed major plans for an £8.1million makeover with new cabins in Wales. Forest Holidays is hoping to gain permission to replace 85 caravans and camping pitches at its site in Beddgelert, in Snowdonia National Park. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A Welsh holiday park is planning a £8.1million makeover Credit: Eryri National Park 3 The site plans to add 22 year-round cabins to its park based in Beddgelert in Snowdonia National Park Credit: Getty The site plans to add 22 year-round, luxury cabins to its existing 16 cabin development and 85 additional pitches for both touring caravans and camping. In addition, Forest Holidays wants to create a new reception and cafe building. Currently, the site has 25 touring caravan pitches and 85 camping pitches. The proposals are part of a wider plan in collaboration with the Roberts Group - the owners of Cae Du and Cae Canol campsite, also in Beddgelert. Under a separate application, there will be more touring and camping pitches at Cae Du and Cae Canol so the village doesn't lose capacity. Public toilets and better path access for guests are also part of the plans. Back in 2017, the site gained planning consent for 16 cabins and up to 85 touring caravan pitches and camping pitches. Forest Holidays has 13 sites across the UK in woodlands owned by Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, and Natural Resources Wales. The Beddgelert site is the smallest of the Forest Holidays locations and is set in a riverside wooded area. Each cabin currently has a hot tub and guests can enjoy access to the new Elvis Owl Nature Trail - which is ideal for kids as it includes activities to immerse them in nature. This holiday park has Maldives-like overwater bungalows Families can also hire bikes from the site, to explore the local area on wheels. Alternatively, guests can get some R&R with a spa treatment. Prices to stay at the holiday park vary, but can be found from £895 for a week, for a family of four. Beddgelert itself is a picturesque stone-built village, which is the ideal base for exploring Snowdonia National Park. From the village, travellers can head onto the Lôn Gwyrfai path which can be used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The route stretches over four miles to the village of Rhyd Ddu - which is then a good starting point to hike to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). According to Forest Holidays, since opening in 2018 demand for the 16 cabins at Beddgelert has been high throughout the year. The site also expects annual occupancy levels of the cabins to be 96 per cent, with guests expected to spend £650,000 per annum in the local area as well. Forest Holidays plans £23million woodland park with lodges, treehouses and play zones A NEW £23million woodland holiday park with lodges, treehouses and play zones is set to open in the UK. Forest Holidays, which submitted the plans for the project, hopes to build 75 timber holiday cabins on 140 acres in a Derbyshire woodland at Farley Moor. If approved, the holiday park would feature a shop, cafe, outdoor play area and 249 parking spaces. The whopping £23million project will be able to host 185 people with cabin sizes varying from one to five beds along with treehouse rooms. Forest Holidays plans to suspend all cabins above the ground on steel pillars to protect the forest floor. The cabins would be a flat-pack design reducing the need for heavy construction equipment. Center Parcs' boss also recently revealed what to expect from its brand new holiday park in the UK. Plus, the lesser-known UK holiday park named the best in the country – with unique all-inclusive stays and free booze.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Every single bag on Ryanair hols flight left behind in UK…as passenger with no suncream says ‘there's many burnt bodies'
The flight is reported to have landed with no checked luggage on board LUGGAGE CHAOS Every single bag on Ryanair hols flight left behind in UK…as passenger with no suncream says 'there's many burnt bodies' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRIT tourists' holidays have been thrown into crisis after a Ryanair flight reportedly landed without any checked luggage. The flight from Bristol to Gran Canaria on July 18 is believed to have landed without anyone's bags in the hold. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The flight was from Bristol to Gran Canaria Credit: AFP More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Holiday warning over easy passport and boarding pass mistakes that could land you with a hefty bill worth £1,000s
Plus, we've revealed how to go about reporting scams TAKE NOTE Holiday warning over easy passport and boarding pass mistakes that could land you with a hefty bill worth £1,000s Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOLIDAYMAKERS are being warned that simple mistakes with passports or boarding passes could end up costing thousands of pounds. Experts say losing your passport or throwing away your boarding pass could leave you unable to travel or stuck with surprise bills. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 An example of a dark web seller offering sales of passport scans Another key blunder includes saving a scanned copy of your passports on your digital devices. Cybercriminals are targeting travel documents, with stolen passports, boarding passes, and hotel bookings being sold for thousands on the dark web. Research from NordVPN and Saily has uncovered thousands of stolen travel details being traded online, putting Brits at risk of identity theft and financial scams. Verified UK passports are among the most valuable, selling for over £4,000 if they're valid and uncompromised. When passports are recorded as missing or stolen and invalidated, the risk of fraud is reduced, but such documents can still slip past some companies with more relaxed reviewing procedures. Even older, invalid passports can fetch up to £8 and may still slip through lax security checks. Boarding passes and airline loyalty accounts are also hot commodities, with criminals using them to steal frequent flyer miles or access personal information. Hackers have also targeted hotel bookings made through popular platforms like selling reservations at steep £200 discounts or claiming refunds to their own accounts. Cybercriminals use malware to scan devices for sensitive files like passport scans, hack email accounts to retrieve travel documents, or exploit data breaches at airlines and travel agencies. Physical mistakes, such as leaving boarding passes behind at airports or sharing passport scans on insecure cloud folders, can also make travellers easy targets. Major warning over emergency social welfare scam texts as thousands could be targeted Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, said: "The best way you can protect yourself against these types of fraud is to ensure that all of your devices are kept updated with antivirus software and make sure that anything related to your holiday booking is saved in a secure place. "If you have been asked by your travel agent to send over a copy of your passport, don't be afraid to ask them what they do with that scan once your booking has been completed. "Take precautions in the airport too, and don't leave boarding passes in public places, as even these have enough information to put you at risk of identity fraud." Ultimately, to stay safe, travellers should secure their documents and avoid discarding boarding passes or sharing passport scans carelessly. was contacted for comment. How to report scams If you think you have been a victim of a scam, you should report it as soon as possible. There is no guarantee you'll get your money back, but banks will often compensate you if you can show you did not know the money would leave your account. You can forward scam emails to report@ If you notice a website that doesn't look quite right, you can also report it to the National Cyber Security Centre by visiting You should also contact your provider and report it to Action Fraud, which will give you a crime reference number. You can do this online by visiting or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you're in Scotland, report a scam through Advice Direct Scotland online by visiting You can also report scams to Police Scotland on 101. If you need further help, contact Citizens Advice Scams Action by visiting or calling 0808 223 1133.
