Complaints and appeals

If you think we’ve got something wrong, please let us know as soon as possible. If you are still unhappy after you have spoken to us, we will explain what you need to do next. You have different options depending on what the problem is.

This page tells you about:

• complaining about the service you received from us
• complaining about a contractor
• your options if you think our benefit or child maintenance decision is wrong
• the Tribunals Service
• complaining about the Department.

The DWP Customer Charter sets out the standards you can expect from us and what your responsibilities are in return.

• DWP Customer Charter

Complaining about the service you received from us

Each of our businesses has its own complaints procedure for its customers.

• Jobcentre Plus complaints (GOV.UK)
• The Pension Service complaints (GOV.UK)
• Child Support Agency complaints (GOV.UK)
• Debt Management complaints
• Disability and Carers Service complaints (GOV.UK)

Complaints and appeals are different

We cannot treat a complaint as an appeal against a benefit decision. Read about appeals in the next section below.

Complaining about the service you received from a contractor

If you are unhappy with the service you have received from a DWP contractor, for example a Work Programme provider, you should complain to them first and give them a chance to put the matter right. If you are unhappy with their response they must tell you how you can take your complaint further.

If you remain unhappy with the contractors’ final response to your complaint, you can ask the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) to investigate your complaint.

• Independent Case Examiner

If you think our benefit or child maintenance decision is wrong

If you think our decision is wrong, you can ask us to explain it. If you still think it is wrong after we have explained, we will look at it again.

For some decisions, you may also be able to appeal to an independent tribunal who can change the decision if they agree that it is wrong.

There are time limits for asking us to look at decisions again and for appealing. We tell you about these time limits and about appealing in our leaflet GL24 – If you think our decision is wrong.

• GL24 – If you think our decision is wrong (164KB)

• Get help with PDFs

The Tribunals Service

The Tribunals Service is an independent organisation that arranges and hears appeals against decisions on:

• social security
• child support
• vaccine damage
• tax credit
• compensation recovery.

• www.tribunals.gov.uk

Complaining about the Department

As a Department we want to give a good service to everyone who has dealings with us.

Each of our businesses has its own complaints procedure. To complain about one of our businesses, use the links in the Complaining about the service you received from us section above.

If you are dissatisfied with anything we, as a Department, not our businesses, have done or not done, please let us know this either in writing – by post, email or fax – or by phoning, to the manager of the part of the Department concerned.

We will investigate your complaint fully and objectively. We will aim to get back to you within two weeks to tell you whether we accept it and, if so, what we are doing to put matters right. If we do not accept your complaint we will give you our reasons.

If you are still dissatisfied, you can ask us to take a second, and final, look at the issue. This will be done by a member of our staff who is more senior to the person who reviewed the complaint originally.