Thousands of Universal Credit claims currently being reviewed by DWP

Claimants are being asked to provide bank statements

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently reviewing thousands of Universal Credit claims, requiring claimants to provide several months of bank statements to verify the accuracy of their benefit payments.

Claimants are being instructed to submit documents from all financial accounts they hold, which includes banks, building societies, credit unions, as well as PayPal and gambling websites where money can be held.

The purpose of this scrutiny is to identify any undeclared income or substantial savings that could affect the amount of Universal Credit received, in addition to spotting any other irregular or questionable transactions.

Many have been left surprised after being selected for a claim review, which involves uploading bank statements to their Universal Credit online account. These checks are part of an ongoing effort to ensure that all benefit claims are legitimate and accurate, reports Birmingham Live.

In its online guidance, the DWP states: "Your Universal Credit claim might be reviewed to make sure you're getting the right payment and support. If your claim is going to be reviewed, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will contact you and let you know through your online account. You'll need to send DWP some documents to confirm your details and have a phone interview.

"You'll get a message in your online account asking to see your ID and bank statements. You might also need to share documents about your circumstances and the amount of Universal Credit you're getting.

"For example, you might need to provide documents about your housing costs, earnings or other income, self-employment, savings, childcare costs, children, health conditions, student finance, and caring responsibilities.

"You'll be invited to a phone interview to discuss your claim. If you do not attend the interview, your payment could be stopped. If you're not getting the right amount of Universal Credit. The review might find that you're getting too much or too little in your Universal Credit payment.

"If your Universal Credit needs to change, you'll get a message in your online account. Your future payments will be changed and you may get an extra payment to make up what you've missed out on, or money taken off your payments. If you disagree with a decision made during your review you can challenge the decision."