What to do if…
you receive an official notice that your benefits may be stopped due to an investigation

What to do now

1. Make the notice usable before you respond.

   • Write down the date on the notice, the date you received it, the deadline, the benefit named, and what they say may happen.
   • Keep the envelope if you have it.
   • Take clear photos or scans of every page, including any reply form.

2. Work out what the notice is asking you to do.

   • If it asks for information or evidence, treat it as an information request and answer only the points it asks about.
   • If it says a payment has been suspended, stopped, reduced, or that an overpayment is owed, look for the reasons, the decision date, and any challenge wording.
   • If it says “interview under caution” or suggests suspected fraud, treat it as serious and get advice before attending.

3. Send a short holding reply using the route in the notice.

   • Use your Universal Credit journal if the notice tells you to use it, or the contact details on the notice if it gives another route.
   • Say you have received the notice, you want to cooperate, and you are asking what information or evidence is needed.
   • If you need more time to get documents, ask for more time and say when you expect to send them.
   • Keep a screenshot, copy, certificate of posting, or note of what you sent and when.

4. If the notice is a decision letter, ask about Mandatory Reconsideration promptly.

   • If you disagree with a benefits decision, you can usually ask for Mandatory Reconsideration.
   • This is usually expected within one month of the decision date, unless the letter says a different route or timing applies.
   • If time is short, send a simple request saying you disagree with the decision and want Mandatory Reconsideration, then send evidence as soon as possible.
   • Include the decision date, benefit name, your National Insurance number if requested, what you disagree with, and what you believe is correct.

5. If an interview or meeting is requested, make it safer.

   • Ask what the meeting is about and what documents they want you to bring or upload.
   • If it is an ordinary compliance meeting, ask whether you can bring a supporter if that would help you stay calm and understand the questions.
   • If it is an interview under caution, ask a welfare rights adviser, legal adviser, or solicitor what to do before you attend.
   • If you cannot get advice before an interview under caution, ask the contact on the letter whether the interview can be rearranged so you can get advice first.

6. Gather only evidence that answers the issue raised.

   • Use the notice to guide you: identity, address, rent, household members, earnings, self-employment, childcare, health, caring responsibilities, or changes in circumstances.
   • Send clear copies or uploads, not a large bundle of unrelated papers.
   • Keep a list of each document, how you sent it, and the date sent.

7. Get local welfare benefits help quickly.

   • Search for a local welfare rights adviser, advice centre, law centre, or benefits adviser.
   • Tell them the deadline, the benefit involved, whether payment has already stopped, and whether the notice mentions fraud or an interview under caution.
   • If you have no money for essentials because payment has stopped, tell the adviser this at the start and ask what urgent help may be available.