If the DWP has stopped, reduced or refused a benefit and you think the decision is wrong, you cannot go straight to an appeal. Whether the decision is about Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance or another benefit, you will usually need to ask for a mandatory reconsideration before appealing. GOV.UK says some decisions cannot be reconsidered and some can go straight to appeal, so the decision letter should be checked. A request can be made using the method available for the benefit, including by phone, letter, a relevant form or, for some Universal Credit decisions, through the online journal.
You usually have one month from the date on the decision letter to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. The date on the letter is what counts, not the date it arrived, so check it as soon as it lands.
GOV.UK says you can ask after one month if you have a good reason, such as being in hospital or dealing with a bereavement, and you must explain why the request is late. The detailed rules can vary with the decision and benefit, so do not assume a late request will be accepted. If the one-month period has passed, check the current rules and the decision notice promptly.
A general complaint about how you were treated will not get the decision changed. The letter has to do three things.
Point at the specific parts of the decision you dispute. For a PIP decision that means the individual descriptors and the points awarded, not the overall award. For a Universal Credit or ESA decision it means the finding you disagree with, such as a work capability outcome, a sanction, or how earnings or capital were treated.
Name what supports your position and give dates: GP or consultant letters, prescription lists, care plans, occupational therapy reports, hospital discharge summaries, payslips or bank statements. If the assessment report records something that did not happen or misquotes what you said, quote the line and set out what actually happened on that day.
State plainly that you are requesting a mandatory reconsideration of the decision dated on the letter, quote the reference number, and say what outcome you are asking for. Make it clear that you are asking for mandatory reconsideration of the identified decision so the purpose of your request is unambiguous.
The DWP will look at the decision again. One of two things follows.
It changes the decision, in your favour in whole or in part, and you get a new decision letter with any arrears due.
Or it keeps the decision and issues a mandatory reconsideration notice, usually called an MRN. The notice explains the reconsidered decision. If the decision can be appealed and you remain dissatisfied, you usually have one month from the date of the mandatory reconsideration notice to appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. GOV.UK notes that some decisions can go straight to appeal without mandatory reconsideration, so the decision notice should always be checked.
There is no fixed legal timescale for how long a mandatory reconsideration takes. Some come back in a few weeks, others take considerably longer. If yours is drifting, a written chaser that repeats the decision date and reference is the record you will want later.
The substance matters more than legal-sounding wording: identify the decision, explain what you think is wrong and provide evidence that supports those reasons. StatutoryLetters generates a mandatory reconsideration letter from your own circumstances, dates and evidence, set out against the correct process and naming the appeal route that follows. You can [generate your letter here](/generate/personal).