Research - paying participant expenses and compensating for time: guidance

16. Annexe B: Service Users and Universal Credit

The following information has been provided by DWP:

“General rules

Researchers also need to consider the potential impacts on benefit entitlement for people who participate in research. Regulations provide that people who participate in research for the DWP and other similar organisations^[2] will be treated as Service Users for Universal Credit. This means:

• All expenses^[3] relating to Service User activity should be ignored and not treated as earnings.
• Fees^[4] made to Service Users are treated as earnings and need to be taken into account when assessing entitlement to Universal Credit.
• If a fee is declined this will not be treated as notional income

See Advice for Decision Makers H3160 Service Users

Non-cash vouchers

Although fees will be treated as earnings, there also certain payments which are excluded from being treated as earnings. This includes non-cash vouchers, meaning they will not affect entitlement to Universal Credit.

See also Advice for Decision Makers H3083 Amounts excluded from being employed earnings H3080 - H3129 and Service Users H3160 – H3169”