Decision makers’ guide: Vol 3: Subjects common to all benefits: staff guide
Guidance for DWP decision makers on decision making and appeals.
Documents
Details
This guidance is for DWP staff who make decisions about benefits and pensions. It helps them make decisions that are accurate and consistent.
The introduction of Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment affects the guidance DWP staff use.
DWP decision makers now use Advice for decision making (instead of the DMG) for decisions that involve:
- Universal Credit
- Personal Independence Payment
- contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance for people who are eligible for Universal Credit
Why we publish this guide
We publish this guide to help people understand how we make decisions.
Information for claimants
Information for claimants about eligibility and how to claim:
Last updated 8 December 2023 + show all updates
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Updated DMG Vol 3 Ch 9: Overpayments, offsets and recoverability and also DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021.
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Updated DMG Volume 3 Chapter 8: Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit and added summary of changes from January 2021.
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Updated DMG volume 3 chapter 12: Imprisonment and added summary of changes - September 2023.
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Updated DMG Vol 3 Ch 12: Imprisonment and also DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021.
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Updated DMG Vol 3 Ch 10: Evidence of age, marriage and death and added summary of changes from January 2021.
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Updated DMG chapter 17 (overlapping benefits) and Volume 3 summary of changes.
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Updated DMG volume 3, chapter 8: Payment of benefit and Deductions from benefit, chapter 17: Overlapping benefits and added summary of changes.
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Replaced 'DMG Vol 3 Chapter 15: Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit' and 'DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021'.
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Updated chapter 17.
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Updated 'DMG Vol 3 Ch 10: Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit' and 'DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021'.
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Updated 'DMG Vol 3 Ch 8: Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit' and 'DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021'.
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Replaced 'DMG Vol 3 Ch 8: Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit' and 'DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021'.
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Updated chapter 8 Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit.
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Updated chapters 8 and 17.
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Updated chapter 9. Added DMG Vol 3: Summary of changes from January 2021.
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Updated chapter 8 - clarifies definition of pensionable age at 08112 and provides new guidance on deductions for child support maintenance at 08501 – 08600.
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Updated 'DMG Vol 3 Ch 8: Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit'.
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Amended Vol 3 Ch 15 to include references to DMG memo 13/20.
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Revised chapters 10 and 16. Added summary of changes in 'DMG Vol 3: Amendment 60, February 2020'.
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Amended DMG volume 3 chapter 17. Changes listed in amendment 60, February 2020.
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Added revised 'DMG Vol 3: Amendment 57, February 2019' to include annotations to DMG Memo 01/20: Civil Partnerships for opposite sex couples.
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Added revised DMG vol 3 chapter 9: Overpayments, recoverability, adjustments, civil penalties and recoupments, chapter 15: Earnings for non-income-related benefits and amendment 59, which lists the changes to the revised chapters.
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Updated chapter 8 'Payment of benefit and deductions from benefit' with changes for deductions for arrears of child maintenance.
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Added revised 'DMG Vol 3: Ch 15: Earnings for non-income-related benefits' and 'DMG Vol 3 Ch 16: Dependency increases' and added associated amendment note 'DMG Vol 3: Amendment 58, June 2019'.
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DMG Vol 3 Chapter 14 - this chapter is now spare as the employment schemes detailed in the former 'Welfare at Work' chapter no longer exist.
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Revised DMG volume 3 chapters 8 and 10 with amendments listed in amendment 57.
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Revised DMG volume 3 chapter 10: Evidence of age, marriage and death, annotated to DMG memo 2/19.
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Added revised DMG volume 3 chapter 16 with amendments listed in amendment 56.
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Revised DMG chapter 16 - update to chapter 16222.
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Revised DMG volume 3, chapters 8, 9, 12, 15, 17 and amendment 55, which lists the amendments.
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Added revised DMG volume 3, chapters 9, 11, 12, 13 and amendment 54, which lists the amendments.
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Added revised DMG volume 3, chapter 15: Earnings for non-income-related benefits - annotated to new DMG memo 21/17.
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Added revised DMG volume 3, chapter 15 and amendment 53, which lists the amendments. Also deleted out of date amendments 48 and 49.
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Published revised chapters 8, 9, 12 and 17 annotated to memos.
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Revised DMG volume 3, chapters 12 and 13, annotated to memos 6, 7 and 8/17.
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Added revised chapters 9, 15 and amendment 52, which lists the amendments.
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Added revised chapters 8, 12, 13 and 15. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 51.
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Published revised amendment 50 - page 2 - amended abbreviations and statute abbreviations.
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Published revised chapter 8, 9 and 17 annotated with new memo 11/16.
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Published revised chapters 13, 15, 18 and amendment 50, which lists the amendments.
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Replaced chapter 2: Imprisonment - annotated to DMG memo 6/16.
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Added revised chapters 8, 10, 15, 16 and 18. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 49.
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Replaced chapter 15 annotated with new memo 20/2015.
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Added revised chapters 15, 16 and 17. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 48.
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Published revised chapter 15 annotated with new relevant memos 6 to 12/15.
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Replaced chapter 15 annotated with new memo 5/2015.
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Added revised chapters 8, 10, 11, 15, 16 and amendment 47. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 47.
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Added revised chapters 10 and 16 annotated to memos 35 to 37.
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Published revised chapter 8 annotated with new memos 33 and 34/14.
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Added revised chapters 11, 13 and amendment 46.
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Added amended chapters 9 and 16 and new amendment 46.
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Added revised chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16 and amendment 45. Amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 45.
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Added revised chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 44 - also added.
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Amended DMG Vol 3 Ch 9 and added amendment 43 - further clarification of the guidance relating to the imposition of Civil Penalties.
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First published.