NI260 - A guide to Revision, Supersession and Appeal (April 2006)
About this guide
This guide is intended for professional and voluntary advisers and for members of the public who want to know more about the revision, supersession and appeal systems for social security benefits. For information about Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit.
It is only a guide to revision, supersession and appeal, and does not have any status in law. It does not cover all aspects of disputes and appeals for every situation, nor does it provide a full interpretation of the rules. It should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.
In this guide there are references to the relevant Acts and Regulations, to enable you to consult the legal wording of the rules. For information about the key to the abbreviations.
The information contained in this guide is primarily concerned with the law in England, Scotland and Wales.
Throughout this guide when we refer to you we mean you, the claimant.
Other sources of information
This guide does not deal with Child Support decision making. See Leaflet CSA2006 Child Support Maintenance – A guide to reviews and appeals.
This guide does not deal with Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit or Guardian’s Allowance decisions. To find out more, visit the HM Revenue & Customs website at www.hmrc.gov.uk – you can claim online too.
- If you think that a decision on tax credits is wrong, you should get leaflet WTC/AP How to appeal against a tax credit decision or award. If you’d rather phone HMRC, call the Helpline on the following numbers: Great Britain – 845 300 3900; Northern Ireland only – 0845 603 2000; Textphone for people with hearing or speech difficulties: England, Scotland and Wales – 0845 300 3909; Northern Ireland only – 0845 607 6078. If you need help or a form in Welsh, please telephone 0845 766 0830.
- If you think that a decision on Child Benefit or Guardian’s Allowance is wrong, you should get leaflet CH24A if you think our decision is wrong. If you’d rather phone HMRC, call the Helpline on the following numbers: Great Britain – 0845 302 1444; Textphone – 0845 302 1474; Northern Ireland – 028 9054 9000. All lines open: 8am–8pm seven days a week (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday).
A free confidential telephone service is available for people with disabilities and their carers. Ring the Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) on 0800 88 22 00; textphone 0800 24 33 35.
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to the principles of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
How to use this guide
Part 1 explains:
- who makes decisions
- what happens when you claim a social security benefit
- how social security decisions are made
- the differences between a revision/supersession and an appeal
- Part 2 looks at the revision and superseding processes
- Part 3 looks at the appeals process
- Part 4 looks at appealing to the Social Security Commissioners
- Part 5 looks at decisions on other benefits and pensions
- Part 6 provides further information of a general nature
Benefits not covered
The following benefits and pensions are not covered by the procedures described in Parts 1–4 of this guide:
- Social Fund Budgeting Loans
- Social Fund Community Care Grants
- Social Fund Crisis Loans
- Vaccine Damage Payments
- War Pensions
If you are not satisfied with a decision concerning any of these benefits, go to Part 5 for further information.
Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB)
From 2 July 2001, decisions on Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) became subject to similar rules to those described in this guide. This means that, whilst this guide does not specifically refer to HB/CTB and should not be read as a definitive guide to those benefits, you can refer to it as a general guide as to what to do if you wish to challenge a decision made on your HB or CTB claim or application. But if you have any queries you should contact your local council.