2. Other benefit sanctions
You can also be sanctioned if you are getting income support (IS) or employment and support allowance (ESA) not paid under the universal credit (UC) system. If you come under the UC system (see
here), different rules apply (see Chapter
47).
You can be given a sanction if, without ‘good cause’:
•you (or, in some cases, your partner) fail to take part in a work-focused interview; or
•you fail to take part in work-related activity when required to do so while entitled to ESA or IS. For IS, this only applies if the only reason you are on IS is because you are a lone parent, and if you do not have any children under three.
You should be given at least five days to show you have good cause before any decision to impose a sanction is made.
1DL v SSWP (JSA) [2013] UKUT 295 (AAC) For more detail about these sanctions, see Chapter 49 of the 2021/22 edition of this
Handbook.