Working on UC
Guide

Reporting pension payments in your Universal Credit journal

UC can't see money you put into a pension yourself. So each month you tell DWP and send proof. The extra UC is paid a few weeks later.

Last checked November 2026.

You'll need this page every month

Press Save or share at the top to bookmark it, or add it to your phone's home screen, so it's easy to find next time.

Which payments to tell them about

  • A pension you pay into yourself, such as a personal pension or SIPP. Tell them every month.
  • A workplace pension taken from your wages. You don't usually need to report this. It's normally already taken off the earnings shown on your Universal Credit statement (the statement in your online Universal Credit account each month, showing how your payment was worked out). It won't be listed as a separate line. It's simply part of a lower earnings figure.
    • To check it, take your payslip and work out your pay before deductions, minus tax, National Insurance and your pension payment. That should roughly match the earnings on your Universal Credit statement. If the Universal Credit statement is higher by about the amount of your pension, tell DWP in your Universal Credit journal and give them the payslip figures.
    • Salary sacrifice: if your pension works this way, it comes off before your pay is worked out, so you won't see it as a deduction at all. It has still been taken into account.
    • Student loan repayments and things like union fees aren't taken off for Universal Credit. So the earnings on your Universal Credit statement can be higher than the take-home pay on your payslip for that reason.

If you're self-employed, add your pension payments when you report your monthly income and costs, instead of sending a separate message.

What to do every month

1. Put money in during your UC monthFrom the account your wages go into. Not in the last two days.
2. On the last day, ask for an uploadSend a short message in your Universal Credit journal
3. Send your proofYour bank statement and pension statement for the whole month, and a short note
4. Your normal UC is paid, without the extraThis is normal
Extra UC paid within 4 weeks?
No
Chase in your Universal Credit journalStill nothing? See when DWP gets it wrong
Yes
Extra UC paidMake a note of it

Next month, start again at step 1.

Before your first payment

  • Pick a pension you can prove is registered. Almost any personal pension or SIPP is. Ask the pension company for a letter or email saying it's "a registered pension scheme". DWP may ask for it.
  • Check you can download a list of your payments for set dates. Some pension companies can't do this, so their pension statements run into the next month. You'd then have to explain that in a note.
  • Pay from the account your wages go into. Then one bank statement shows your wages coming in and the pension payments going out.
  • Tell UC before you start. Send the first message below, so they know what's coming.

Step by step

Your UC month is the monthly period your payment covers. It's called your "assessment period" on your Universal Credit statement. It runs between the same dates every month.

During your UC month

  1. Put the money in, and write down the date and amount each time.
  2. Don't pay in the last two days of your UC month. A payment right at the end can show up in the next month on your pension company's records, and DWP may not count it.
  3. Don't put in more than you earned that month. Anything over won't raise your UC.

On the last day of your UC month

  1. Send a message in your Universal Credit journal (the message page in your online account). Say how many payments you made and the total, and ask for an "upload to-do". You can't usually attach files to a journal message, so DWP has to set this up for you.

When the upload to-do appears

  1. Upload your bank statement for the whole UC month, from the first day to the last. Highlight your wages and each pension payment. If your bank only does statements mid-month, add a list of payments for the exact dates.
  2. Upload your pension statement showing each payment arriving, with dates.
  3. If it's a new pension, add the letter saying it's registered.
  4. Add a short note saying what you've sent and the total. Explain anything odd.
  5. Check every payment date is on what you've sent. One missing date can mean a month of back and forth.

What your proof should look like

Bank statement5 March to 4 AprilExample
5 MarBalance brought forward£212.40
7 MarWages from your employer+£1,600.00
9 MarSupermarket−£54.20
11 MarPayment to your pension provider−£300.00
15 MarRent−£650.00
24 MarPayment to your pension provider−£300.00
4 AprBalance carried forward£508.20
Pension payment historyExample
11 MarPayment received£300.00
24 MarPayment received£300.00
Total paid in£600.00
  1. The bank statement covers the whole UC month, first day to last.
  2. Your wages are highlighted.
  3. Each pension payment is highlighted, in a different colour.
  4. The pension history shows the same dates and amounts.

Then wait, and chase if you need to

  • Your normal UC is worked out on your full wages, and you'll see "payments reduced because of earnings". That's normal. DWP can't take the pension payment off in advance.
  • The extra arrives later, with a message in your Universal Credit journal and an updated Universal Credit statement. Expect it to take four to ten weeks, and keep enough money to cover the gap.
  • If nothing's happened after four weeks, chase it in your journal.

Messages you can copy

Change everything in [square brackets]. Keep messages short, and always give dates and amounts. They use the words DWP uses, like "assessment period" for your UC month.

The first time: telling UC you're paying into a pension

First journal message
Hi, I've made [a payment / payments] of £[amount] into my personal pension this assessment period, from my bank account.

Under regulation 55(5)(a) of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013, relievable pension contributions made in an assessment period are deducted from employed earnings. My scheme is a registered pension scheme under section 153 of the Finance Act 2004, and payments I make myself are relievable contributions under section 188. See also Advice for Decision Making, chapter H3, paragraphs H3170 to H3173.

These payments don't show in the earnings HMRC sends you, so I'll send evidence when the assessment period ends. Please can you set me an upload to-do on [last day of the assessment period], and tell me if you also need proof that the scheme is registered.

Thanks, [first name]

Every month: asking for the upload

End of your UC month
Hi, my assessment period ends today. I made [number] payments into my personal pension during it, totalling £[total]:
- [date]: £[amount]
- [date]: £[amount]

Please can you set me an upload to-do so I can send my bank statement and pension payment history for the whole period, so my earnings can be amended.

Thanks

Every month: the note with your upload

Upload note
I've uploaded:
1. My bank statement for [start date] to [end date], with my wages and pension payments highlighted.
2. A transaction list for exactly [start date] to [end date], because my bank statement runs from [date] to [date].
3. My payment history from my pension provider. It also shows a payment of £[amount] on [date], which falls in my next assessment period, because the provider's site can't filter by date.

Pension payments this assessment period: [date] £[amount], [date] £[amount]. Total: £[total].

If nothing's happened after four weeks

Chaser
Hi, on [date] I uploaded evidence of £[total] in pension contributions for my assessment period [start date] to [end date]. Please can you tell me whether it's been passed on to have my earnings amended, whether anything else is needed, and when I can expect the payment?

Thanks

If DWP asks why you're paying in more

Be honest. You don't need a reason, but a clear answer helps.

Why I'm paying more
I'm saving for retirement. I get tax relief on what I pay in, and at [age] I want to build up my pension while I'm working. The amount changes with my earnings, and I expect to pay about £[amount] a month.

Changing pension company

Try not to switch while you're on UC, because it can cause delays. If you do, send the letter saying the new pension is registered with your first upload for it.

You might be told a new pension company needs a "mandatory reconsideration" first. DWP has told claimants that this isn't the right process: your proof should go to the team that corrects your wages once it's checked. There's a reply you can copy on the when DWP gets it wrong page, under "If it's about pension payments".

Tips

  • Pay in a few days after payday. Then the payment is in the same UC month as the wages it comes from.
  • Watch out for extra paydays. If you're paid weekly or every two weeks, some UC months have an extra payday. You might want to put in more that month.
  • Keep a simple record. For each UC month, write down each payment, when you asked for the upload, when you uploaded, what you sent, and when the extra UC arrived. If anything goes wrong, this is what your MP or a tribunal will want to see.

If the extra UC doesn't arrive

  1. Chase in your journal. Say when you uploaded your proof.
  2. If DWP says no, or your UC stays wrong, ask them to look again (a mandatory reconsideration) within one month of the date on your Universal Credit statement. There's a letter you can copy.
  3. If you're stuck, ask your MP for help, and appeal if DWP still says no. See when DWP gets it wrong.

If you can't use your online account

GOV.UK says to contact Universal Credit instead. The helpline is 0800 328 5644.

Where this information comes from