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This scheme is for people who received a Recoverable Hardship Payment from Universal Credit.聽You would only have received a hardship payment if your Universal Credit was reduced because of a sanction or fraud penalty.

You might be eligible for a refund if聽DWP refused聽a聽request聽from you聽to consider either:

• stopping聽(鈥榳aiving鈥�) your repayments, or
• reviewing the rate of repayment

Eligibility

You can ask聽DWP聽to review its decision not to stop the repayment of your hardship payment if all聽of聽the following apply:

• between 1聽January 2014 and 11 January 2021聽you聽asked聽Universal Credit or聽DWP聽Debt Management聽to waive the repayment of a hardship payment,聽or聽reconsider the rate of recovery, and

• DWP聽refused your request聽or refused to consider the request

You will also need to show that either:

• you could not afford to repay the hardship payment at that time, or

• it had a significant effect at the time on your or your family鈥檚 health or wellbeing 鈥� this means that it caused a health condition or made a health condition worse

How to apply

Fill in the (ODT, 14.9 KB).

You must apply by 4聽May 2025.

You will need to provide evidence from the time you made the initial request.聽It will need to show聽that:

• you could not afford to repay your hardship payment, or

• the hardship payment affected your or your family鈥檚 health or wellbeing

This could include:

• financial information from the time, such as bank statements, information about loans, or letters from creditors

• information from a doctor or other medical professional saying that repaying the money caused a health condition or made it worse

You will also need to provide information about your income and living costs at the time. If you do not have all of this information, you can still apply. However, it will help your application if you can give as much information as possible.

You can also write a letter that answers the questions on the form.聽

Send the form and other documents to:

Freepost DWP UNIVERSAL CREDIT FULL SERVICE.

Contact us

If you are having difficulty or would like support in completing the application, call the scheme helpline:聽

Universal Credit Recoverable Hardship Payment (RHP) scheme helpline

Telephone: 0800 158 5557

聽(if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 328 5644

British Sign Language (BSL)聽聽if you鈥檙e on a computer - find out how to聽. Welsh Language: 0800 158 5557
Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm

Find out about call charges

What happens next

DWP聽will contact you within 6 weeks of receiving your application to let you know it has been聽received.

They聽will decide whether you should receive a refund of your repayments. They may contact you for more information.

They will send you a decision about your application within 13 weeks of receiving it.

Why this is happening

DWP聽has reviewed its policy about when it asks for a Universal Credit hardship payment to be repaid.