Making a claim for universal credit
7.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a claim for universal credit must be made by means of an electronic communication in accordance with the provisions set out in Schedule 1 and completed in accordance with any instructions given by the Department for that purpose.
(2) A claim for universal credit may be made by telephone call to the telephone number specified by the Department if the claim falls within a class of case for which the Department accepts telephone claims or where, in any other case, the Department is willing to do so.
(3) A claim for universal credit made by means of an electronic communication in accordance with the provisions set out in Schedule 1 is defective if it is not completed in accordance with any instructions of the Department.
(4) A claim made by telephone in accordance with paragraph (2) is properly completed if the Department is provided during that call with all the information required to determine the claim and the claim is defective if not so completed.
(5) If a claim for universal credit is defective the Department must inform the claimant of the defect and of the relevant provisions of regulation 9 relating to the claim.
(6) The Department must treat the claim as properly made in the first instance if—
(a)in the case of a claim made by telephone, the person corrects the defect; or
(b)in the case of a claim made by means of an electronic communication, a claim completed in accordance with any instructions of the Department is received at an appropriate office,
within one month, or such longer period as the Department considers reasonable, from the date on which the claimant is first informed of the defect.