Updated: Added translation
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) needs to collect and handle personal information about you so that we can provide services for you. Our personal information charter tells you the standards you can expect when we ask for your personal information. It also includes what we ask you to do to help us keep your information up to date.
If we ask you for personal information, we will:
make sure you know why we need it
only ask for what we need
make sure nobody has access to it who shouldn’t
keep it securely
let you know if we share it with other organisations to give you better public services
ask you to agree to us sharing your information where you have a choice
only keep it for as long as we need to
not make it available for commercial use (such as marketing) without your permission
In return, we ask you to:
give us accurate information
tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes, such as a new address
This helps us to keep your information reliable and up to date.
Ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
To ask for a copy of the personal information DWP holds about you, please use our request for personal information form. You can write to us instead but you must use our form if you are asking for information on behalf of someone else. Requests for personal information are sometimes called ‘subject access requests’.
We will not charge you for this service.
If you write, please include a description of the information you want (for example Jobseeker’s Allowance records) and tell us your:
full name
full address
date of birth
National Insurance number
Where to send your request
Take or send your request by post to the office you usually deal with or your nearest office – usually a Jobcentre Plus office. Please do not send your request by email.
When you should get our reply
We will send you the personal information you have asked for as soon as we can. This will be within 40 days from when we get your request, as long as your request gives us enough information to identify you and the information you ask for.
Understanding the information we send you
Read our guidance on understanding DWP abbreviations to help you understand the information we send you.
More about how we collect and use information
DWP collects information to deal with:
social security (including Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction Schemes and Local Welfare Provision)
child support
employment and training
promoting financial planning for retirement
policy relating to occupational and personal pension schemes
The information we collect about you depends on the reason for your business with us, but we may use the information for any of these purposes.
We may check information we collect about you with other information we have.
We may get information about you from other people and certain other organisations.
We may share information with certain other organisations such as:
other government departments
local authorities
private-sector bodies, such as banks and organisations that may lend you money
We will only give information about you to someone outside DWP if the law allows us to.
We may share your information for a number of reasons, including to:
check the accuracy of information
help people with particular difficulties, such as troubled families
help people get or stay in work
help people get education and training to improve their chances of getting work
support people with independent living, including home help and respite care
prevent or detect crime
check payments for services
protect public funds in other ways
use for research or statistical purposes
DWP administers Vaccine Damage Payments jointly with the Department of Health. Read about how we collect and use information about Vaccine Damage Payments.
How we process your personal data
We are changing the way we process your personal data relating to financial transactions when we interact with you. Our services provider Shared Services Connected Limited may process some of this data offshore. For more information see Personal data processing: fair processing notice.
Changes to this charter
If our charter changes, we will update this page. Check this page to make sure you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it and the circumstances we may share it with other organisations.