Grade three sanction or job refusal failure - 13-week non-entitlement period

If a client or partner does not meet their obligations, without a good and sufficient reason, an obligations failure will be initiated and a graduated sanction may be imposed.

The graduated sanction regime applies to all obligations, including social obligations.

If a client or partner fails 3 obligations without a good and sufficient reason in a 24-month period, they are subject to a grade 3 sanction - 13-week non-entitlement period. This means:

• for clients without dependent children, 3 obligations failures in a 24-month period may result in a benefit cancellation and a 13-week non-entitlement period
• for partnered clients with dependent children, only the partner with a grade 3 failure is affected
• for sole parents with dependent children, 3 obligations failures in a 24-month period will result in a 50% cancellation of benefit for 13 weeks.

Note for young partners with youth activity obligations, their obligation failures are only counted for 12 months.

A partner who refuses an offer of suitable employment is subject to a grade three sanction, regardless of their failure count in the 24-month period.

Note when an applicant fails their pre-benefit activity to accept an offer of suitable employment, they are not subject to a 13-week non-entitlement period or job refusal failure, as these can only be imposed once a client is getting a main benefit.

For more information see:

• Core policy Pre-benefit requirements
• When the sanction is imposed
• Effect of non-entitlement period on financial assistance