DWP gives new update on Universal Credit assessment '272-day wait'

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has given a new update on waiting times for Universal Credit claim assessments. The Work Capability Assessment is a process used by the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) to decide how a claimant's health condition or disability affects their ability to work for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance. Asking a question in Parliament, Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove, queired the situation regarding reassessments in particular.

She asked: "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for existing claimants awaiting a work capability reassessment; and what steps he is taking to reduce that time." On Thursday, Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions and Minister of State (Minister for Equalities) in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Labour MP for East Ham, responded: "Demand for initial Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assessments has risen, so we continue to prioritise initial claims.

This enables us to ensure that claimants receive the right level of benefit and we establish capability for work at the outset of a claim. "The department is taking a number of steps to increase the capacity of the Health Assessment Advisory Service to deliver WCAs, including reassessments for existing Universal Credit (UC) claimants. "This includes the recruitment and training of additional healthcare professionals across all assessment suppliers, alongside improvements to workforce planning to better align available resources with demand.

"The department continues to monitor assessment volumes closely and works with suppliers to ensure sufficient capacity is in place to reduce waiting times and support timely reassessment activity. "The department prioritises WCAs for new claims in order to minimise waiting times and ensure that individuals receive the correct benefit entitlement as early as possible. We recognise that some existing claimants may experience delays when awaiting reassessment and continue to keep the impact of these arrangements under review while taking steps to improve overall assessment capacity and reduce waiting times.

"As of October 1, 2026, the average waiting time for a WCA reassessment was 272 working days. Claimants awaiting reassessment continue to receive their existing rate of benefit in the meantime. Where a reassessment results in entitlement to a higher rate of benefit, any increase due will be backdated in line with the date entitlement arose." It was noted that figures had been rounded to the nearest whole number. Further, an addendum to Sir Stephen's response clarified that information on the average waiting time for existing claimants awaiting a WCA reassessment was derived from unpublished management information produced by assessment suppliers for internal departmental use and was not routinely published as official statistics.