Press release

Jobcentre guidance on new national COVID restrictions

On 4 January 2021, the Prime Minister announced that the government will be introducing new national COVID-19 measures in England to protect the NHS and save lives.

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published
6 January 2021
Last updated
15 January 2021 — See all updates

This means from 5 January 2021 until further notice, the following updated jobcentre guidance will apply to customers in England, and will ensure essential support is provided whilst keeping colleagues and customers safe.

  • Jobcentres will remain open, as they have throughout this pandemic, to provide essential services and support to those who we cannot help in any other way.

  • We will ensure that this support continues to be delivered in line with the latest government and PHE guidance – such as maintaining social distancing and rigorous cleaning regimes - keeping our colleagues and customers safe.

  • Work Coaches will be empowered to support customers through the best and most appropriate channels - whether online, by phone, or in person - with jobcentres remaining open to help those who need extra support and are unable to interact with us on the phone or digitally.

  • Our Work Coaches will continue to deliver employment support programmes such as the Job Entry Targeted Support (JETs) scheme, by phone or through online channels.

  • Face-to-face assessments for disability benefits remain suspended.

  • If you think you might be entitled to a health and disability benefit, you should contact us as soon as possible to make a claim in the usual way.

  • For existing customers, payments will continue as normal. Anyone who has a change in their needs should contact us immediately so we can ensure they are receiving the correct level of support.

  • From 18 January: Jobcentres will be open from 10am to 2pm to help keep our colleagues and customers as safe as possible in the latest phase of this pandemic. Members of the public entering a jobcentre, unless exempt, will be required to wear a face covering.

On 3 November 2020, we also confirmed that the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for self-employed customers claiming Universal Credit in England, Scotland, and Wales has been extended to the end of April 2021. This means that self-employed customers on Universal Credit will receive a payment that reflects their earnings at this difficult time.

For Scotland:

On 4 January 2021, the Scottish Government announced they are moving to level five - the highest of their COVID tiered system. The jobcentre guidance in place for England above will therefore also apply to jobcentres and customers in Scotland.

For Wales:

On 28 December 2020, Wales moved into alert level four – the highest of their COVID tiered system. The jobcentre guidance in place for England above will therefore also apply to jobcentres and customers in Wales.

For Northern Ireland:

Please contact the Department for Communities for more information on measures introduced in Northern Ireland - 028 9082 9000.

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Published 6 January 2021
Last updated 15 January 2021 + show all updates

  1. Jobcentres will be open from 10am to 2pm to help keep our colleagues and customers as safe as possible in the latest phase of this pandemic. Members of the public entering a jobcentre, unless exempt, will be required to wear a face covering.

  2. First published.