Annex 3: IT systems associated with Universal Credit

Below is a list of the IT systems that are used for the delivery of Universal Credit discovered during the research for this report. The list is likely incomplete, but is included incase it is a useful starting point for others.

  • ATLAS (Automated Transfers to Local Authority Systems)
  • Apply for a direct payment of rent - an online service for landlords to request that part of the Universal Credit payment is paid directly to them rather than a claimant. 1
  • Customer Information System (CIS) - DWP’s database of National Insurance Numbers along with associated benefits and sanctions. Local authorities have read-only access to CIS. 2 3
  • Daily Jobseeker- a Tumblr site run by DWP with a limited number of posts about how to search for jobs.4
  • DWP Authenticate - an authentication system used by PRaP and other DWP services.
  • DWP Data Hub - DWP uses the DWP Data Hub to share data with local authorities to allow them to do things like apply a reduction in Council Tax for claimants.5 6
  • Google analytics - appears to be being used on the digital account (based on from view source HTML on the login page)
  • IRIS (Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service) - a central function for analysing data and intelligence on fraud and error. (Listed in NAO report).
  • Labour Market Tools - a set of tools that aim to help claimants with searching for work. These include: ‘Record your work search’, ‘Choose your activities’, ‘Build your CV’, ‘Explore work you could do’.78 9
  • Landlord Portal - A system for selected social landlords to interact with Universal Credit, for example validating rent costs and applying for direct payment of rent. As of January 2019, there were 651 landlords using it, a list of which is maintained by the House of Commons Library10 11 12
  • PRaP - (Provider Referrals and Payments) - Organisations providing services under the Work and Health Programme interact with DWP via the PRaP website. Providers can use it to download the in CSV format and upload it to their own systems, raise purchase orders and report if claimants have found a job13 14
  • Staff Protection List - DWP’s central database of claimants who have displayed “unacceptable behaviour”15
  • RIS (Risk Intelligence System) - DWP’s fraud and error detection system. 16
  • RTE (Real Time Earnings) - DWP’s copy of the RTI database, with some additional data about pensions17
  •  RTI (Real Time Information) - HMRC’s system that employers use to report earnings and other information for the calculation of PAYE tax. The data is also used by DWP to calculate Universal Credit payments (once a claim has been made). The system includes data about an individual (name, date of birth, passport number etc), information about their employer, their earnings and if they have been on strike18
  • Transfer Your Files - A replacement for the DWP Data Hub. 19
  • Understanding Universal Credit - a website with content about Universal Credit. Separate from the GOV.UK website.20
  • Universal Credit account (aka digital account) - the main digital system claimants use to apply for and maintain a Universal Credit claim. 21
  • Universal Credit in Action - a YouTube channel with videos that explain how elements of Universal Credit and the digital account work22
  1. HM Government, “Apply for a direct payment of rent”, Apply for a direct payment of rent, https://directpayment.universal-credit.service.gov.uk/, retrieved 15 December 2019 

  2. Department for Work and Pensions, “Customer Information System (CIS): the information held about you”, July 2018, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729893/customer-information-system-the-data-held-about-you.pdf, retrieved 23rd October 2019 

  3. Department for Work and Pensions, “Guidance for local authorities on the use of social security data”, April 2014, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307156/data-sharing-guide-april-14.pdfretrieved 23rd October 2019 

  4. “Daily Jobseeker”, Tumblr, https://dailyjobseeker.tumblr.com 

  5. “Universal Credit full service Local Authority Support Pack”, September 2017, https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/sites/default/files/attachments/Universal-Credit-full-service-a-guide-for-LAs-v1.pdf, retrieved 23rd October 2019 

  6. Department for Work and Pensions, “Guidance for local authorities on the use of social security data”, April 2014, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307156/data-sharing-guide-april-14.pdfretrieved 23rd October 2019 

  7. http://tools.universal-credit.service.gov.uk/ 

  8. “The labour market tools”, http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2019-0465/LM_tools_v6.0.pdf 

  9. “Working with your Work Coach (Universal Credit full service)”, Universal Credit In Action - YouTube, 23rd July 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa3s3DjJr1s 

  10. “I have asked the Department to build an online system for private landlords, so they can request (where necessary) for their tenant’s rent to be paid directly to them.” The Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP, “Speech - Universal Credit: personal welfare - GOV.UK”, 11th January 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/universal-credit-personal-welfare, retrieved 20th September 2019 

  11. Department for Work and Pensions, “Universal Credit: April 2019 rent changes for social landlords - GOV.UK”, GOV.UK, 25th June 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-rented-housing–2/universal-credit-april-2019-rent-changes-for-social-landlords 

  12. Department for Work and Pensions, “February 2019: Universal Credit landlord engagement newsletter”, 29th August 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-landlord-engagement-newsletters/february-2019-universal-credit-landlord-engagement-newsletter 

  13. Department for Work and Pensions, PRaP Questions and Answers, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762772/prap-questions-and-answers.pdf, retrieved 23rd October 2019 

  14. “Department for Work and Pensions, Provider Referrals and Payments System - Terms & Conditions of Use”, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762771/prap-terms-and-conditions.pdf 

  15. UCB, http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2019-0980/137._UCB_v4.0.pdf 

  16. Department for Work and Pensions, “DWP annual report and accounts 2018 to 2019”, GOV.UK, 27th June 2019, p69,122, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2018-to-2019, retrieved 15 December 2019 

  17. “Real time information”, http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2019-0465/Real_Time_Information_v6.0.pdf 

  18. HMRC, “Guidance on RTI Data Items from April 2019”, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/775920/Data_items_guide_2019_to_2020_v1.1.pdf, retrieved 23rd October 2019 

  19. Department for Work and Pensions, “LA Welfare Direct Bulletin 2/2019”, GOV.UK, 18th October 2019, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/la-welfare-direct-bulletins-2019/la-welfare-direct-bulletin-22019#changes-to-the-data-hub-in-2019, retrieved 23 October 2019 

  20. “Understanding Universal Credit”, https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk 

  21. “Universal Credit online”, https://www.universal-credit.service.gov.uk/postcode-checker 

  22. “Universal Credit In Action”, Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Km4IXfVJB1n8SQUmkJD0Q, retrieved 27th October 2019