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, the first step is a written request for a mandatory reconsideration. That is the DWP looking at its own decision again, and it is a required stage before a tribunal will hear your case.
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.
Late requests can sometimes still be accepted if you have a good reason, for example you were in hospital, you were dealing with a bereavement, or the letter never reached you. This is discretionary and it is not guaranteed. The DWP can refuse a late request outright, and there is an absolute limit of 13 months from the decision date. If you are past the month, say clearly in your letter why the request is late and ask for the delay to be accepted.
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. Without that explicit request, the DWP may treat your letter as a complaint and the clock keeps running.
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. You normally receive two copies. That notice is what allows you to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, Social Entitlement Chamber. You have one month from the date of the MRN to lodge the appeal, and the tribunal will not accept the case without it.
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 wording matters because the letter is the document the decision maker reads, and later the document the tribunal sees. 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).