Decision makers’ guide: Vol 1: Decision making and appeals: 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:
Updates to this page
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Updated: DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims; DMG Vol 1 Ch 3: Revision; DMG Vol 1 Ch 4: Supersession, suspension and termination; DMG Vol 1 Annex A in Annexes A to M. The changes are listed in the updated volume 1 summary of changes.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 6: Making appeals and staying and DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020 -- Updated March 2025.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims, DMG Vol 1 Ch 3: Revision and DMG Vol 1 Ch 4: Supersession, suspension and termination with annotations to DMG memo 3/25: Identity of Claimants and Children -- effect of Upper Tribunal decision.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims -- annotated with references to DMG memo 2/2025.
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Updated DMG Chapter 3 "Revision" at paragraph 03017 and DMG Chapter 6 "Making appeals and staying" at paragraph 06015 to include guidance from DMG memo 13/22 "Reinstatement of a qualifying benefit and revision". The rolling summary of changes has also been updated.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 1: Principles of decision making and evidence and DMG Volume 1: Summary of changes
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New Vol 1 Chapter 6: Making appeals and staying and new summary of changes added.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 6: Making appeals and staying and added Summary of changes from October 2020: February 2024.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 3: Revision, DMG Vol 1 Ch 4: Supersession, suspension and termination, and also DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 1: Principles of decision making and evidence and also DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020.
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DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims has been updated.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 6: Making appeals and staying and added summary of changes from October 2020.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 3: Revision.
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Updated DMG volume 1 chapter 6: Making appeals and staying and added summary of changes.
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Updated Volume 1 rolling summary of changes, Chapter 3 (Revision) and Chapter 6 (Making appeals and staying).
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Updated DMG chapter 4: Supersession, suspension and termination.
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Updated DMG volume 1 chapter 2: Claims and added summary of changes.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 6: Making appeals and staying.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims, DMG Vol 1 Annexes A to M and DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020.
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Updated DMG Vol 1 Ch 1: Principles of decision making and evidence. Changes are shown in updated DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020.
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Replaced DMG Vol 1 Ch 1: Principles of decision making and evidence and DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020.
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Replaced 'DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims' and 'DMG Vol 1: Summary of changes from October 2020'.
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Updated chapter 6 and summary of changes.
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Updated chapter 6 and summary of changes.
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Updated chapters 3 and 4.
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Updated DMG Volume 1, chapter 1 and summary of changes.
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Updated DMG Volume 1, chapters 3 and 6 and summary of changes.
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Updated chapter 2.
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Updated chapter 3 and summary of changes.
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Updated chapter 6. Added 'DMG Vol 1: Amendment 62, October 2020'.
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Annex D updated in 'DMG Vol 1 Annexes A to M': under paragraph 2 of 'Contributions decisions' schedule 3 now added as previously omitted. Vol 1 Ch 1 updated: reference in 01052 changed: Vol 1 Ch 2 updated: 02330 – ‘Time for claiming’ – WB, BSP added, BA removed (not incorporated in previous amends); 02331 – new paragraph for ‘mixed-age couples (incorporating DMG Memo 07/19); 02339 – (old Bereavement Payment paragraph) removed as no longer required; 02340 – BPT and BA removed, BSP added (not incorporated in previous amends), note and legal reference removed; 02064 – 02036 reference removed – paragraph doesn’t exist; 02560 – reference to DMG Memo 07/19 removed; 02569 – new paragraph for mixed-age couples.
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Updated DMG volume 1, chapters 3 and 5.
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Updated DMG volume 1, chapters 2 and 4. Updated 'Vol 1 Annexes A to M' where 'Annex B - Electronic Communications' has been updated.
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Revised chapters 1 and 2. Summary of changes in 'DMG Vol 1: Amendment 61, June 2020'.
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Added updated version of 'DMG Vol 1 Ch 2: Claims'. Added updated version of 'Annex A to M' which includes an updated Annex B within the document.
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Updated DMG volume 1, chapters 2, 3, 4, 6 and annexes A to M. All amendments are listed in the summary of changes, February 2020.
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Added revised DMG Vol 1: Amendment 54, June 2017 to include annotations to DMG Memo 01/20: Civil Partnerships for opposite sex couples.
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Updated Chapter 3 'Revision'. The amendment updates paragraph 03025 point 3 to make clear that where the Decision Maker considers they have before them a hopeless application for supersession, no decision should be made.
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Added updated version of Annexes A to M, which includes an updated Annex E within the document.
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Added revised 'DMG Vol 1 Chapter 1: Principles of decision making and evidence' and associated amendment note 'DMG Vol 1: Amendment 59, June 2019'.
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Replaced DMG Vol 1 Annexes A to M following various corrections to the document.
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Updated chapter 2 - Claims.
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Revised version of DMG Volume 1 chapter 3.
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Revised versions of DMG Volume 1 chapters 1, 2 and 4 with amendments listed in amendment 58.
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Revised DMG chapter 2 annotated to DMG memo 1/19.
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Added revised DMG volume 1 chapters 1 and 2 with amendments listed in amendment 57.
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Revised DMG chapter 1 - update to guidance in paragraph 01031.
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Published revised DMG volume 1 chapter 2: Claims. Annotated to DMG memo 13/18.
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Published revised DMG volume 1, chapter 6 and amendment 56, which lists the amendments.
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Published revised DMG volume 1, chapter 6 and amendment 55, which lists the amendments.
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Published revised DMG volume 1 chapter 3 annotated to new DMG memo 17/17.
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Published revised DMG volume 1, chapters 2, 3, 4 and 6 and amendment 54, which lists the amendments. Also deleted out of date amendments 48 and 49.
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Published revised chapters 2 to 4 annotated to memos.
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Published revised chapters 1, 4, 6 and amendment 53, which lists the amendments.
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Published revised chapter 3 annotated to new DMG memo 25/16.
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Published revised chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, annex D and amendment 52, which lists the amendments.
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Published revised chapter 4 annotated to new DMG memo 20/16.
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Published revised chapters 2, 3, 4, 6 and amendment 51, which lists the amendments.
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Published revised chapters 2 and 4 annotated with new memo 13/16.
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Published revised amendment 50 - page 2 - amended abbreviations and statute abbreviations.
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Published revised chapters 2, 3, 4, 6 and annex D annotated with new memo 11/16.
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Published revised chapters 2, 3, 4, 6 and amendment 50, which lists the amendments.
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Published revised chapter 2 annotated with new relevant memos 28 and 29/15.
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Added revised chapters 2 to 5. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 49.
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Added revised chapters 2, 3 and 4. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 48.
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Published revised chapters 3 and 4 annotated with new relevant memos 6 to 12/15.
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Added revised chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, annexes A to M and amendment 47. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 47.
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Added amended chapter 3 and annex E and new amendment 46.
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Replaced chapter 3 - missing text added to paragraph 03346.
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Replaced chapter 6 with revised version - appendix 2 added.
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Added revised chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and amendment 45. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 45.
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Replaced chapter 5 with revised version annotated with reference to memo 11/14 - Work-related activity and work-focused interviews for lone parents.
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Replaced chapter 2 with revised version. See DMG memo 9/14 for details of amendment.
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Replaced chapter 6 with revised version with new appendix 2 added.
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Added revised chapters 2, 3, 4, 6 and annex A to M. The amendments to these PDFs are listed in amendment 44 - also added.
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First published.