Guidance

Customer Information System – an explanation of the information held about you

Updated 26 July 2018

To help you understand the information provided in response to your right of access request.

Introduction

The Customer Information System (CIS) is a computer system used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to store basic identifying information about you such as your name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and so on.

As well as identifying information, CIS keeps a limited record of benefits that you may have claimed over the last 2 to 3 years.

The information CIS holds is used to help DWP staff quickly find out about you when you contact us, and to allow decisions to be made faster and more accurately.

The information contained in a CIS right of access request

The CIS right of access request print has 7 main sections:

  • Section 1: cover sheet
  • Section 2: account details
  • Section 3: personal details
  • Section 4: business interest details
  • Section 5: benefit awards details
  • Section 6: relationship details
  • Section 7: government e-services details

The 7 main sections each consist of several sub-sections. For example, the ‘identifying details’ section has sub-sections for names, addresses, sex, and birth date and so on.

Within a sub-section, there may be several different items of information. For example, the name sub-section has items for title, forename, surname and suffix and so on.

What you will see

A CIS right of access request will only print information held about you. Where information is not held, it will not print it out – it will not print blank sections or blank sub-sections.

For example, if you make a right of access request and have never claimed any benefits, the section for ‘benefit awards details’ will not be printed.

If you are not disabled or never have been, then the sub-section about disability will not be printed.

However, if we do not hold all the information in a section or sub-section, the item will be printed out but will be blank. For example, in the names details sub-section if you do not have a suffix to your name, such as BA, BSc, OBE, MBE and so on, this item will be printed out but will be blank.

Where the item within a sub-section is a financial amount and no information is held, 0.00 will be printed.

Where you have a history of information, for example you have lived at several addresses over the last few years, the print will show the most recent information first and the oldest last.

Section 1 – cover sheet

The cover sheet shows that the right of access request is from the DWP CIS. It will also show sufficient information to identify you and the date of printing.

Item name Description
  The Department for Work and Pensions logo
Customer Information System The name of the computer system the right of access print is from
Name The name (forename and surname) you use for your dealings with DWP
National Insurance number Your National Insurance number, eg AA123456C
Date of print The date your right of access print was printed

Section 2 – account details

This sub-section shows when your account (record) was created on CIS. It includes the name of the office where your account was created and the name of the government department the office belongs to.

Account creation details

Item name Description
Account creation date The date your account (record) was created on CIS
Account creation office name The numeric value/code of the office that created your account on CIS, such as Manchester Old Trafford, Glasgow City
Account creation department name The numeric value/code of the ID of the government department that created your account on CIS

Account update status

Item name Description
Account update status Indicates that an account has been updated ‘today’

Section 3 – personal details

This section shows the personal details held on CIS used to ensure that you are correctly identified when you contact the DWP.

National Insurance number details

This sub-section shows all the information about your National Insurance number, which is a unique nine-character reference (such as AA123456C), allocated to you to positively identify you when you contact DWP.

Item name Description
National Insurance number Your National Insurance number – the one your right of access request was made under
Verification Indicates the verification level of the National Insurance number, i.e. verified, qualified or not verified
Status If you have been using two or more National Insurance numbers at the same time, either ‘superseding’ or ‘superseded’ will be shown. ‘Superseding’ shows that the National Insurance number displayed is the main one you should use for your dealings with the DWP. ‘Superseded’ shows if there is another National Insurance number you have used. If you have only ever used one National Insurance number this field will be blank.
Superseded National Insurance number A National Insurance numbers that you have been linked with that has been superseded by the one the right of access request has been made under
Superseding National Insurance number A National Insurance numbers that you are linked with that is superseding to the one the right of access request has been made under

Name details

This sub-section shows all the information held about the name you currently use or names you have previously used in your dealings with the DWP.

Item name Description
Name type Name type 1 (the name you use in all walks of life) or name type 2 (another name you want to be known as)
Title Title (Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr and so on)
Forename(s) Forename(s)
Surname Surname (family name)
Suffix Name suffix (BA, BSc, OBE and so on)
Start date The date the DWP records and starts to use your name on its computer system
End date The date DWP records and stops using your name on its computer system

Requested name details

This sub-section shows all the information held if you are or have ever used a requested name in your dealings with the DWP. A requested name (requested form of address) is a name that cannot be held on DWP computers in the normal way, for example because it is very long. A requested name is also used for non-standard titles/names, such as ‘Duke of…’.

Item name Description
Requested name Requested name
Start date The date the DWP records and starts to use a requested name for you on its computer system
End date The date DWP records and stops using a requested name for you on its computer system

Address details

This sub-section shows all the information held about the address where you currently live or can be contacted at, and addresses where you have previously lived or have been contactable at.

Item name Description
Address The house/flat number or the name, the street name, the district, the town or city
Postcode The postcode used to identify the address
Country The country in which the address is located
Type of address Shows if the address is residential, correspondence, business and so on
Address status type Shows the status of the address, such as dead letter office, no fixed abode and so on
Start date The date the DWP records and starts to use an address for you on its computer system
End date The date DWP records and stops using an address for you on its computer system

Birth details

Item name Description
Birth date The date on which you were born or were officially deemed to have been born
Recorded date The date the DWP records and starts to use the birth date for you on its computer system
End date The date DWP records and stops using the birth date for you on its computer system if it was originally recorded incorrectly
Verification level Indicates the level to which a date of birth has been verified, i.e. not verified, verified to level 1 (through 2 accepted document types), verified to level 2 (through a full set of supporting documents)

Death details

This sub-section shows all the information held about the date on which the DWP incorrectly recorded you as having died and other supporting information.

Item name Description
Death date The date on which you were officially recorded as having died, or were officially deemed to have died
Recorded date The date the DWP records and starts to use the date you were officially recorded as having died on its computer system
End date The date DWP records and stops using the date you were officially recorded as having died on its computer system if it was originally recorded incorrectly
Verification level Indicates the level to which a date of death has been verified, i.e. not verified, verified to level 1 (through a limited number of accepted document types), verified to level 2 (through a larger number of accepted document types), verified to level 3 (through the original death certificate)

Sex details

Item name Description
Sex Sex (male or female)
Recorded date The date the DWP records and starts to use your birth sex or the start date of your new sex after it has been officially changed on its computer system under the requirements of the Gender Recognition Act 2004
End date The date DWP records and stops using your sex previously recorded as having been on its computer system

Gender recognition details

This sub-section shows all the information held about your gender after it has been officially changed under the Gender Recognition Act 2004. It will also show if the DWP has ever incorrectly recorded your gender.

Item name Description
Date of gender recognition certificate The date you officially changed gender, as recorded on your gender recognition certificate
Date DWP notified of gender change The date the DWP was notified that you had officially changed gender

National identity fraud unit indicator

This sub-section shows all the information held if you are being investigated for identity and benefit fraud.

Item name Description
National identity fraud unit indicator A marker indicating that you are being investigated for identity and/or benefit fraud

Immigration and nationality department indicator

This sub-section shows all the information held if you are being monitored for immigration irregularities and associated benefit fraud.

Item name Description
Immigration and nationality department indicator Indicates whether there is an immigration and nationality directorate interest in you/your National Insurance number

Unacceptable behaviour details

This sub-section shows all the information held if you have or may in the future demonstrate unacceptable behaviour towards DWP staff, such as you have threatened or have been violent and or abusive towards staff, or information has been received that you may be violent and or abusive.

Item name Description
Unacceptable behaviour A marker showing that you or a member of your household have or may demonstrated unacceptable behaviour towards DWP staff
Start date of behaviour The date the DWP records and starts to consider that you have or may demonstrate unacceptable behaviour towards DWP staff
Review date The date DWP is due to review your unacceptable behaviour

Nationally sensitive record details

This sub-section shows all the information held about periods when you have required the security of your record to be increased to a national level. This is done to prevent unauthorised access to, processing of and disclosure of your personal details. This is usually for people such as elected representatives (MPs, MEPs), celebrities and so on.

Item name Description
Start date The date the DWP records and starts to consider that you require security to a national level
End date The date the DWP records and considers that you no longer require security to a national level

Identity fraud at risk indicator details

This sub-section shows whether the DWP has identified your record as being at risk of identity fraud.

Item name Description
Type of risk The type of risk the DWP has identified for your record. If a risk has been identified this will only display ‘ID at risk’
Status of risk A yes or no confirmation of the status of your record being at risk of identity fraud
Start date The date the DWP records and starts to consider that your record is at risk of identity fraud
End date The date the DWP records and stops considering that your record is at risk of identity fraud

Immigration details

This sub-section shows all the information held by the DWP about your immigration application.

Item name Description
Immigration REF number A unique reference number allocated by the Home Office and used in immigration application cases
Status The status of your immigration application, such as asylum seeker, refugee, leave to stay and so on
Start date The date the DWP records your immigration application case details
End date The date the DWP records the end of your immigration application case details

Special needs details

This sub-section shows all the information held about your special needs for contact with the DWP.

Item name Description
Type of need The type of special need you may have, such as braille, large print and so on
Start date The date the DWP records your special needs details
End date The date the DWP records the end of your special needs

Language details

Preferred language

This sub-section shows all the information held about the preferred language you use for your contact with the DWP.

Item name Description
Preferred language The preferred language you wish to use for your contact with the DWP, such as Welsh
Start date The date the DWP records the start of your use of a preferred language
End date The date the DWP records an end to your use of a preferred language

Spoken language

This sub-section shows all the information held about the main language you speak if English is not your first language.

Item name Description
Spoken language The main language you speak, such as Polish, Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic
Start date The date the DWP starts to record that the main language you speak is not English
End date The date the DWP stops recording that the main language you speak is not English

Nationality details

This sub-section shows all the information held about your nationality.

Item name Description
Nationality Your current and any previous nationality you have held, such as British, French, Australian
Start date The date the DWP recorded and started using your nationality
End date The date the DWP recorded your previous nationality ended

Post Office details

This sub-section shows all the information held about the Post Office you normally cash your benefit cheque or use your benefit payment card at.

Item name Description
Restricted cheque encashment A marker to show that you have a restriction as to which Post Office you can cash your benefit cheque or use your benefit payment card at. This may be because you have attempted to fraudulently cash benefit cheques elsewhere.
Post Office address Address of the Post Office you normally use for cashing cheques
Start date The date the DWP recorded you as starting to use a specific Post Office for cashing cheques or using your benefit payment card at
End date The date the DWP recorded you as no longer using a specific Post Office for cashing cheques or using your benefit payment card at

Civil partnership and marital status details

This sub-section shows all the information held about any current civil partnership or marital relationships you may have with another person such as if you are married, a civil partner, single, divorced and so on.

Item name Description
Civil/marital status Shows if you are single, married, civil partner, divorced, widow or widower, surviving civil partner and so on

Disability details

This sub-section shows all the information held about when you told the DWP that you are or were disabled. The nature of your disability is not recorded here.

Item name Description
Disabled A marker to show that you have told the DWP you are disabled
Start date The date the DWP recorded when you told them that you had become disabled
End date The date the DWP recorded when you told them that you were no longer disabled

Preferred method of contact details

This sub-section shows all the information held about the method that you prefer the DWP to contact you by, for example telephone, letter, email.

Item name Description
Preferred method of contact The method by which you prefer to be contacted by the DWP
Benefit system The DWP benefit computer system your preferred method of contact was obtained from, such as retirement pension, Attendance Allowance and so on

Contact details

Item name Description
Contact details Your contact details, such as telephone number, email address and so on
Contact type The type of contact such as home, business, mobile and so on
Start date The date the DWP started using the contact details
End date The date the DWP stopped using the contact details

Special indicator details

Item name Description
Potentially violent/unacceptable behaviour A marker showing that you, or a member of your household, has demonstrated or may demonstrate unacceptable behaviour towards DWP staff
Start date of behaviour The date the DWP records and starts to consider that you, or a member of their household, has demonstrated or may demonstrate unacceptable behaviour towards DWP staff
Review date The date DWP is due to review unacceptable behaviour

Special customer record details

Item name Description
Start date The date the DWP records and starts to consider that you/your account requires additional security restrictions
End date The date the DWP records and considers that you/your account no longer requires additional security restrictions

Section 4 – business interests

Business interest details are held to confirm a history of your dealings with the DWP.

Interest details

This sub-section shows where you have had dealings with the DWP, for example you have made a claim to a benefit, successfully or unsuccessfully.

Item name Description
Interest The business interest you have had with the DWP such as a claim made for Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, retirement pension and so on
Type of interest The type of interest registered on CIS for your interaction with the DWP, such as clerical or computer-based.
Source benefit system The DWP computer system registering your interaction with the DWP on CIS, such as retirement pension, Attendance Allowance and so on
Start date The date your interaction with the DWP started
End date The date your interaction with the DWP ended
Delivery office name The name of office managing your interaction with the DWP, such as Manchester Old Trafford, Glasgow City and so on
Type of office The type of DWP office managing your interaction with the DWP, such as owning, broadcast

Section 5 – benefit awards details

The awards section shows an overview of benefits or tax credits you may have claimed. The details of your awards of benefits or tax credits are held on CIS to enable DWP staff to quickly obtain a picture of your dealings with the DWP and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which helps ensure the right benefits or tax credits are paid to you at the right time.

There are seven DWP computer systems and one HMRC computer system which provide CIS with information about benefits and tax credits you may have claimed.

The CIS holds details of any benefits or tax credits you may have claimed for up to 3 years.

Awards are shown at 3 levels:

  1. Assessment – this level shows information about when you have made a claim for a benefit or tax credit, such as the date you made your claim.
  2. Award – this level shows information where your claim for a benefit or tax credit was awarded, such as the start and end date of the award and the amount of the award.
  3. Award component – this level shows information about the different parts of your award of benefit or tax credit, such as if it is awarded for mobility, care, dependent children and contributions and the different amounts or each component.

Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance

Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance is paid to you to support your needs if you suffer from certain medical conditions or have limitations to your mobility.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Status of claim The status of the claim such as active, inactive, cancelled and so on
Exclusion reason The reason why the claim to benefit was excluded, such as absence abroad
Date of DWP decision The date the DWP made their decision about the claim to benefit

Award level information

Item name Description
Start date of award The date the award of benefit started
End date of award The date the award of benefit ended
Reason award ended The reason why the award of benefit ended, such as absence abroad
Award amount The amount of the award of benefit
Payment status The status of the payment of the benefit, such as suspended, credit only
Reason payment suspended The reason why the payment of benefit was suspended, such as claimant in hospital, claimant abroad, and so on

Component level information

Item name Description
Reason Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance awarded The reason why you were awarded Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance, such as blindness, heart disease and so on
Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance disability code A description of the disability in respect of care needs, such as deaf, blind, amputee and so on
Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance payability code The reason why the care component for Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance, is suspended or adjusted, such as in hospital, gone abroad and so on
Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance component rate The rate of care component for Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance, such as higher or lower
Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance overlapping benefit Shows if the care component of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance is offset against other benefits being claimed at the same time, such as retirement pension, Jobseekers Allowance and so on
Reason mobility component rate awarded The reason why you were awarded the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance such as arthritis, blind and so on
Mobility disability code A description of the disability in respect of your mobility needs, such as loss of limbs, arthritis and so on
Mobility payability code Shows the reason if the mobility component for Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance, is suspended or adjusted, such as in hospital, gone abroad and so on
Rate of mobility component The rate of mobility component for Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance, such as higher or lower
Mobility overlapping benefit Shows if the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance is offset against other benefits being claimed at the same time, such as Income Support and so on

Income Support and Pension Credit

This sub-section shows all the information held about Income Support and Pension Credit. Income Support is paid to you if you are aged from 16 years up to 60 and are on a low income, or have no income. Pension Credit is paid to you if you are of pension age living in Great Britain and are on a low income.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Date of claim The date when you made the claim
Start date of claim The date the DWP decided the claim officially started
Date claim received The date the DWP received the claim
Status of claim The status of the claim, such as active, inactive, cancelled and so on
End date of claim The date the claim ended
Date of DWP decision The date the DWP made their decision about the claim
Effective date of DWP decision The date the DWP decision about the claim came in force
Type of DWP decision The type of decision made by the DWP about the claim, such as entitled, not entitled
Type of periodic review The type of periodic review carried out on the claim, such as monthly, quarterly, annually and so on
Case review date The date the case is due to be reviewed
Claim periodic review date The date the claim is due to be periodically reviewed
Assessed income period start date The start date for a period where there is income assessed in respect of the benefit claim

Award level information

Item name Description
Start date of award The date the award of benefit started
End date of award The date the award of benefit ended
Reason award ended The reason the award of benefit ended, such as started work, went into hospital and so on
Award amount The monetary amount of the award of benefit
Type of award The type of award of benefit, such as single payment, fix period and so on
Uprating indicator An indicator that shows if the rate of payment of the award of benefit is eligible for uprating or has been changed due to uprating
Excess income over requirement amount The amount of income which is considered in excess of the amount required for entitlement to the benefit you are claiming
Qualifying income for Pension Credit The amount of qualifying income which is used in the calculation of entitlement to Pension Credit
Reason not entitled to Guarantee Credit The reason you are not entitled to a benefit credit guarantee, such as insufficient eligible income and so on
Reason not entitled to Savings Credit The reason you are not entitled to a benefit Savings Credit, such as insufficient eligible income and so on
Pension Credit status symbol The status of the award of Pension Credit, such as combined with your retirement pension

Component level information

Item name Description
Award component The component which the award of benefit is made up from, such as pensioner premium, disability premium and so on
Award component amount The amount of money paid for the component which the award of benefit is made up from
Clerical adjustment Shows if there is a clerical adjustment to the component the award of benefit is made up from
Other benefit component service Shows if there is another benefit component which the award of benefit is made up from
Other benefit component type The other benefit component the award of benefit is made up from, such as Disability Living Allowance care component, Christmas Bonus and so on

Retirement pension, Incapacity Benefit and short-term benefits

This sub-section shows information about retirement pension, Incapacity Benefit and other short-term benefits.

Retirement pension is a benefit paid to you after you reach retirement age. Incapacity Benefit is a benefit paid to you if you have an illness or disability and cannot work. Short term benefits are benefits you may be paid if you become a widow or widower are bereaved, become severely disabled, take time off from work to have a child or take time of work if you are sick or become and invalid for a short period.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Start date of claim The date the DWP decides the benefit claim officially starts
End date of claim The date the DWP decides the benefit claim officially ended
Reason claim ended The reason the benefit claim ended, such as claim made early, claim deferred and so on
Status of short term benefit claim The status of the benefit claim, such as closed, suspended and so on
Effective date of DWP decision The date the DWP decision about the benefit claim came in force
Start date of benefit entitlement The start date of entitlement to benefit

Payment status

Item name Description
Payment status The status of the payment of benefit, such as active, inactive
Start date of payment status The date the status of payment started
Payment status sub-type Shows any sub-type of payment for the benefit such as widows benefit, short-term benefit and so on

Award level information

Item name Description
Start date of award The date the benefit award started
End date of award The date the benefit award ended
Award amount The monetary amount of the benefit award
Type of award calculation The type of calculation used for the award of benefit, such as automatically calculated, clerically calculated and so on
Category of benefit The category of the benefit award, such as retirement pension and so on
Total amount of personal entitlement The total amount of personal entitlement allowed for the benefit award
Total amount of dependant increase The total amount of award of benefit increased for any dependants
Total amount of entitlement The total amount of benefit you are entitled to
Total amount of positive adjustments The total amount of positive adjustments allowed for the award of benefit
Total amount of negative adjustments The total amount of negative adjustments allowed for the award of benefit
Total payable rate The total rate payable for the award of benefit
Total amount of Attendance Allowance The total amount of Attendance Allowance for the award of benefit
Total Disability Living Allowance care amount The total care amount of Disability Living Allowance for the award of benefit
Total Disability Living Allowance mobility amount The total mobility amount of Disability Living Allowance for the award of benefit
Uprating indicator An indicator that shows if the rate of payment of the award of benefit is eligible for uprating or has been changed due to uprating
Award freezing date The date the rate of payment of the award of benefit was frozen
Award unfreezing date The date the rate of payment of the award of benefit was unfrozen

Component level information

Item name Description
Award component The type of award component in place for the award of benefit, such as personal entitlement, dependant and so on
Component adjustment type The type of adjustment against the component in place for the award of benefit, such as positive adjustment pre-tax, dependent earnings and so on
Sub-adjustment type of the award component The type of sub-adjustment against the component in place for the award of benefit, such as overpayment and so on
Adjustment amount The amount of the adjustment
Type of benefit component The type of benefit component in place for the award of benefit
Dependant amount The amount in payment for any dependant claimed for the award of benefit
Theoretical dependant amount The theoretical amount in payment for any dependant claimed for the award of benefit

Sub-component level information

Item name Description
Sub-award component type The type of sub-award component in place for the award of benefit, such as dependant spouse, age addition and so on
Sub-award component amount The amount of the sub-award component in place for the award of benefit
Post pro-rata fraction amount The amount of post pro-rata fraction included in the award of benefit
Sub-award component inherited indicator An indicator to show that the award of benefit includes an inherited component
Sub-award component increment amount The amount by which the sub-award component has been incremented

Contracted-out information

Item name Description
Contracted-out scheme number The unique number that identifies contracted-out pensions scheme
Guaranteed minimum pension indicator An indicator showing that you are in receipt of guaranteed minimum pension
Inherited indicator An indicator to show that part of the benefit is inherited
Pre-1988 contracted-out deductions amount The amount of the benefit after pre-1988 contracted-out deductions have been made
Pre-1988 contracted-out deductions increments amount The amount of increment of the benefit after pre-1988 contracted-out deductions have been made
Post-1988 contracted-out deductions amount The amount of the benefit after post-1988 contracted-out deductions have been made
Post-1988 contracted-out deductions increments amount The amount of increment of the benefit after post-1988 contracted-out deductions have been made
Inherited increment entitlement amount The amount the benefit has been increased through any inherited increment entitlement
Inherited payable uprated guaranteed minimum pension increment amounts The amount the benefit has been increased through any inherited payable uprated guaranteed minimum pension increments

Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance

Jobseeker’s Allowance is a benefit paid to people who are not working but are capable of working, are available for and are actively seeking work.

Employment Support Allowance is a benefit paid to people who are not working and have an illness or disability and cannot carry out all types of work, and so require help to get back into work.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Date of claim The date of the benefit claim
Start date of claim The date the DWP decides the benefit claim officially starts. This may be different to the date of the claim
Date claim received The date the DWP receives the claim
Status of claim The status of the benefit claim, such as active, inactive, cancelled and so on
End date of claim The date the benefit claim ended
Date of DWP decision The date the DWP made their decision about the benefit claim
Effective date of DWP decision The date the DWP decision about the benefit claim came into force
Type of DWP decision The type of decision made by the DWP about the benefit claim
Case review date The date the case is due to be reviewed

Award level information

Item name Description
Start date of award The date the award of benefit started
End date of award The date the award of benefit ended
Reason award ended The reason the award of benefit ended, such as gone abroad, started work and so on
Award amount The monetary amount of the award of benefit
Type of award sanction The type of sanction in place for the award of benefit, such as sanctioned, not sanctioned
Joint claim indicator A marker to show that the claim to benefit is made jointly with another person such as spouse
Uprating indicator An indicator that shows if the rate of payment of the award of benefit is eligible for uprating or has been changed due to uprating
Excess income over requirement amount The amount of income in excess of the requirement amount for entitlement to benefit
National Insurance credit eligibility indicator A marker to show if the benefit claim is eligible for National Insurance credits

Component level information

Item name Description
Award component The component which the award of benefit is made up from, such as family premium, housing costs and so on
Award component amount The amount of money paid for the component which the award of benefit is made up from
Clerical adjustment Shows if there is a clerical adjustment to the component which the benefit award is made up from
Other benefit component service Shows if there is another benefit component which the award of benefit is made up from
Other benefit component type The other benefit component which the award of benefit is made up from, such as Attendance Allowance, other short-term benefits and so on

Carer’s Allowance

Carer’s Allowance is a benefit paid to people who care for disabled people for over 35 hours per week.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Status of claim The status of the benefit claim, such as active, inactive, cancelled and so on
Date of claim The date of the benefit claim
Date claim received The date the DWP receives the benefit claim
Date claim registered The date the DWP registered the benefit claim on its computer system
Date claim cleared The date the claim for benefit was cleared
Payment status The status of the payment of the benefit, such as suspended, credit only
Payment status start date The date the payment status started
Payment status end date The date the payment status ended
Reason for recovery (1) The reason why a deduction is being made from the award of Carers Allowance, such as overpayment of another DWP benefit
Rate of recovery (1) The weekly amount of money being deducted from the Carers Allowance
Reason for recovery (2) The reason why a deduction is being made from the award of Carers Allowance, such as overpayment of another DWP benefit
Rate of recovery (2) The weekly amount of money being deducted from the Carers Allowance

Award level information

Item name Description
Current award Shows if the award of benefit is current or not
Award start date The date the award of benefit started
Award end date The date the award of benefit ended

Award component level information

Item name Description
Component The type of component the award of benefit is made up from
Sub-award component The sub-type of component the award of benefit is made up from
Rate A description of the type of rate of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance in respect of the award of benefit
Rate amount The amount of the rate of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance
Overlapping benefit component Details of any benefit which overlaps with the benefit award, such as Income Support and so on

Award full decision history level information

Item name Description
Decision The decision made about the award of benefit, such as entitled, not entitled and so on
Date of decision The date the decision about the award of benefit was made
Date decision effective from The date the decision about the award of benefit was effective from
Date decision effective to The date the decision about the award of benefit is effective to
Overlapping benefit Detail of any benefit which overlaps with the award benefit, such as Income Support and so on
Rate of overlapping benefit The rate (amount) of overlapping benefit
Number of child dependent increases withheld The number of potential increases to the

Tax credits

Tax credits are a supplement paid to people who are working to support their household income, or to supplement the amount of a person’s benefit for any children in their household. Tax credits can consist of Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit. Tax credits are paid by HMRC.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Start date of entitlement The date of entitlement to tax credits started
End date of entitlement The date of entitlement to tax credits ended
Reason claim ended The reason the claim to tax credits ended
Date period 1 entitlement to tax credits ends The date of the first period of the entitlement to tax credits is due to end
Date period 2 entitlement to tax credits ends The date of the second period of the entitlement to tax credits is due to end
Period 1 tax credits entitlement The type of tax credits which will be paid during the first period of entitlement to tax credits, such as Working Tax Credit
Period 2 tax credits entitlement The type of tax credits which will be paid during the second period of entitlement to tax credits, such as Child Tax Credit

Award level information

Item name Description
Start date of award The date the tax credits award started
Working Tax Credit awarded in period 1 Yes/no confirmation that you were awarded Working Tax Credit in period 1
Child Tax Credit awarded in period 1 Yes/no confirmation that you were awarded Child Tax Credit in period 1
Date notice of award of tax credits issued The date you were notified by the tax credits office that the tax credits award was being paid

Award component level information

Item name Description
Child care element Shows if a child care element is being paid as part of the tax credits award
50-year-old plus element Shows if a 50-year-old plus element is being paid as part of the tax credits award
30-hour element Shows if a 30-hour element is being paid as part of the tax credits award
Baby element Shows if a baby element is being paid as part of the tax credits award
Number of disabled adults The number of disabled adults included in the tax credits award
Number of disabled children The number of disabled children included in the tax credits award

Last paid dates

Item name Description
Last date Working Tax Credit paid The date you were last paid Working Tax Credit
Last date Child Tax Credit paid The date you were last paid Child Tax Credit

User requested payment made

Item name Description
User requested payment made Yes/no confirmation to show tax credits staff made a request for payments to be made to you

Payments

Item name Description
Working Tax Credit/Child Tax Credit Confirms if the payment is for Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit
Payment due date The date the tax credits payment is due
Payment end date The date the tax credits payment is due to end
Payment type The type of tax credits payments made, such as regular or one-off
Payment amount The amount of the tax credits payment
Payment frequency The frequency of the tax credits payment, such as weekly, monthly, and so on
Payment suspended Shows if the tax credits payment has been suspended from being paid

Personal Independence Payment

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is paid to people aged 16 to 64, whether in work or not. It helps towards the extra costs arising from ill-health or disability. It is based on how a person’s condition affects them, not the condition they have.

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Status of claim The status of the claim, such as decision entitled, decision not entitled and so on
Payment status The status the benefit payment
Payment status reason The reason type for the payment status
Decision date The date on which the DWP made their decision about the benefit claim
Decision exclusion reason The reason why benefit has been excluded

Award level information

Item name Description
Start date of award The date the award of benefit started
End date of award The date the award of benefit ended
Reason award ended The reason why the award of benefit ended such as absence abroad
Daily living component rate type The rate type of the daily living component
Daily living component overlapping benefit code Shows if the care component is offset with Constant Attendance Allowance
Daily living component payability code Reason why care component is suspended or adjusted
Mobility component rate type The raise of the mobility component
Mobility component overlapping benefit code Shows if the mobility component for is offset with war pensions mobility supplement

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a benefit which combines in and out of work benefits whilst supporting employed claimants with childcare and housing costs. It replaces:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment Support Allowance
  • Housing Benefit
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Child Tax Credit

Assessment level information

Item name Description
Benefit The benefit you are claiming
Claim number Sequence number of the claim to benefit
Claim start date The start date of the claim to benefit
Claim end date The end date of the claim to benefit
Payment frequency The frequency of the payment of benefit, such as 4-weekly, calendar monthly and so on
Claim status The status of the claim to benefit such as in payment and so on
Decision date The date on which the DWP made their decision about the benefit claim
Decision reason The reason why benefit has been excluded such as moved abroad, claim withdrawn and so on

Award level information

Item name Description
Award number The sequence number of the benefit award
Component type The entitlement type of the award such as personal allowance, housing allowance and so on
Component value The entitlement value of the benefit award
Type of award sanction The type of sanction in place for your award of benefit, such as sanctioned, not sanctioned
Joint claim indicator A marker to show that your claim to benefit is made jointly with another person such as spouse
Excess income over required amount The amount of income you have which is considered in excess of the requirement amount for entitlement to the benefit
Qualifying income for Pension Credit The amount of qualifying income you have which is used in the calculation of your entitlement to Pension Credit
Reason not entitled to Guarantee Credit The reason you are not entitled to a benefit credit guarantee, such as insufficient eligible income and so on
Pension Credit status symbol The status of your award of Pension Credit, such as combined with your retirement pension
National Insurance credit eligibility indicator A marker to show if your benefit claim is eligible for National Insurance credits
Category of benefit The category of your benefit award, such as retirement pension and so on
Total amount of personal entitlement The total amount of personal entitlement you are allowed for your award of benefit

Section 6 – relationship details

Relationship details

This section shows all the information held about any relationships the DWP may have recorded you having with other people that interact with DWP. Relationships are recorded as part of claims to benefits or tax credits. For example, a married couple can make a claim to retirement pension and CIS would record that the couple were married and link them on the system.

Item name Description
No. The number of the relationship
Personal relationship The type of personal relationship the DWP records you as having, such as husband, wife, partner, dependent, appointee, parent/guardian and so on
Business relationship The type of relationship the DWP records you having, such as joint benefit claimants
Source system of relationship The DWP computer system which provided the information about the relationship to CIS
Relationship start date The date the DWP records the relationship starting
Relationship end date The date the DWP records the relationship ending
Relationship end reason The reason the DWP records as to why the relationship ended, such as divorce, death and so on

Names details

Item name Description
No. The number of the relationship the name relates to
Title The title of the person who the relationship is with, such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr and so on
Forename(s) The forenames of the person who the relationship is with
Surname/org name/request name The surname of the person, or the name of the organisation, or the requested name of the person who the relationship is with
Name start date The date the DWP records the name of the person or organisation with whom you have a relationship with started
Name end date The date the DWP records the name of the person or organisation with whom you had a relationship with ended

Section 7 – government e-service details

E-service known facts

This sub-section shows all the information (known facts held on CIS about you) used by the government to positively identify you when you access government services through the internet.

Item name Description
Known fact type The type of known fact used to identify you when you access government services through the internet, such as birth date, postcode, former names and so on
Known fact value The value of the known fact, such as birth date – 25 May 1970, postcode – AB11 2CD, former names – Smith, Jones, Brown

Abbreviations

(C): contribution-based

(IB): income-based

AA: Attendance Allowance

AACS: Attendance Allowance computer system

ACCOM: accommodation

ADI: adult dependent increase

BFPO: British Forces Post Office

CA: Carer’s Allowance

CAA: Constant Attendance Allowance

CAT: category

CDI: child dependent increase

CMP: child maintenance payment

COB: combined order book

CRL: customer record location

CTC: Child Tax Credit

CTM: contribution to maintenance

DCI: departmental central index

DLA: Disability Living Allowance

DLACS: Disability Living Allowance computer system

DLO: dead letter office

E: exceptional

EEC: European Economic Community

ESA: Employment Support Allowance

FMA: full maintenance assessment

GC: general condition

H: high

IB: Incapacity Benefit

IIDB: Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

IMA: interim maintenance assessment

INCAP: Incapacity Benefit

IOM: Isle of Man

IOP: instrument of payment

IRO: in respect of

ISCS: Income Support computer system

JSA: Jobseekers Allowance

JSAPS: Jobseekers Allowance payment system

L: low

M: medium

NI: Northern Ireland

NRP: non-resident parent

NTC: New Tax Credit

PAB: personal acting body

PAF: postal address file

PDCS: Personal Details Computer System

PFS: Pensions Forecasting Service

PIP: Personal Independence Payment

PSCS: Pension Strategy Computer system

PWC: person/parent with care

RA: retirement allowance

RP: retirement pension

SAP: shared additional pension

SDA: Severe Disability Allowance

SMP: Statutory Maternity Pay

SoS: Secretary of State

STB: short term benefit(s)

SUSF: full payment suspension

SUSP: payment suspension

SVC: Single View of Change

UC: Universal Credit

WB/BB: Widows Benefit/Bereavement Benefit

WTC: Working Tax Credit

WP: War Pension