2. Contacting DWP on behalf of someone else
In some instances, third parties such as family, friends or organisations may want to contact the Department for Work and Pensions on behalf of someone who needs help in managing their Universal Credit claim.
Before you call
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will usually need explicit consent from the claimant before talking to a third party (including family members) about their claim.
The claimant can provide consent through their online journal or by calling the Universal Credit Service Centre. The claimant will need to provide:
- The name of the person they are giving consent for
- The name of the organisation (if applicable)
- Brief details about the issue they are giving consent to talk about. DWP will not be able to talk about wider issues, so it’s important to be clear what the consent is being provided for.
Please read Universal Credit consent and disclosure of information and ensure appropriate actions have been taken before calling DWP.
When you call
Once this consent has been provided, you can call the Universal Credit Service Centre on 0800 328 5644.
You will need to listen carefully to the options to make sure you reach the case manager who will be best placed to help with your query. You will be asked some automated questions about the claimant, so please ensure you have the following information before calling:
- The telephone number the claimant has registered with Universal Credit
- Their postcode
- The first line of their address
- Their date of birth
Please note consent is not open ended. It usually lasts until either the specific request is completed, or to the end of the assessment period after the one in which the consent was given. This may mean the claimant has to give consent more than once.
