http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/5/section/1Social Security Administration Act 1992An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to the administration of social security and related matters with amendments to give effect to recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission.texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-04-15Expert Participation2026-04-06 Part IClaims for and Payments and General Administration of BenefitNecessity of ClaimEntitlement to benefit dependent on claim11Except in such cases as may be prescribed, and subject to the following provisions of this section and to section 3 below, no person shall be entitled to any benefit unless, in addition to any other conditions relating to that benefit being satisfied—ahe makes a claim for it in the manner, and within the time, prescribed in relation to that benefit by regulations under this Part of this Act; orbhe is treated by virtue of such regulations as making a claim for it.1ANo person whose entitlement to any benefit depends on his making a claim shall be entitled to the benefit unless subsection (1B) below is satisfied in relation both to the person making the claim and to any other person in respect of whom he is claiming benefit.1BThis subsection is satisfied in relation to a person if—athe claim is accompanied by—ia statement of the person's national insurance number and information or evidence establishing that that number has been allocated to the person; oriiinformation or evidence enabling the national insurance number that has been allocated to the person to be ascertained; orbthe person makes an application for a national insurance number to be allocated to him which is accompanied by information or evidence enabling such a number to be so allocated.1CRegulations may make provision disapplying subsection (1A) above in the case of—aprescribed benefits;bprescribed descriptions of persons making claims; orcprescribed descriptions of persons in respect of whom benefit is claimed, or in other prescribed circumstances.2Where under subsection (1) a person is required to make a claim or to be treated as making a claim for a benefit in order to be entitled to it, the person is not entitled to it in respect of any period more than 12 months before the date on which the claim is made or treated as made.2ABut subsection (2) does not apply—ato disablement benefit or reduced earnings allowance, orbin a case where a claim for the benefit is made or treated as made by virtue of section 3(2).3Where a person purports to make a claim on behalf of another—zafor personal independence payment by virtue of section 82 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012; orafor an attendance allowance by virtue of section 66(1) of the Contributions and Benefits Act; ...b. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .that other shall be regarded for the purposes of this section as making the claim, notwithstanding that it is made without his knowledge or authority.4In this section and section 2 below “benefit” means—zauniversal credit;zbstate pension or a lump sum under Part 1 of the Pensions Act 2014;zcbereavement support payment under section 30 of the Pensions Act 2014;abenefit as defined in section 122 of the Contributions and Benefits Act;aaa jobseeker's allowance; abstate pension credit; acan employment and support allowance; andadpersonal independence payment.bany income-related benefit.5This section (which corresponds to section 165A of the 1975 Act, as it had effect immediately before this Act came into force) applies to claims made on or after 1st October 1990 or treated by virtue of regulations under that section or this section as having been made on or after that date.6Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect in relation to other claims.S. 1(1A)-(1C) inserted (7.11.1997 for the purposes of authorising the making of regs; 1.12.1997 for all other purposes) by Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997 (c. 47), ss. 19, 25(1); S.I. 1997/2669, art. 2S. 1(4)(aa) inserted (22.4.1996) by Jobseekers Act 1995 (c. 18), s. 41(2), Sch. 2 para. 38; S.I. 1996/1126, art. 2(a)S. 1(4)(ab) inserted (2.7.2002 for specified purposes, 7.4.2003 in so far as not already in force) by State Pension Credit Act 2002 (c. 16), s. 22(3), Sch. 1 para. 2; S.I. 2002/1691, art. 2(i); S.I. 2003/966, art. 2(a)S. 1(4)(ac) inserted (18.3.2008 for specified purposes, 27.7.2008 in so far as not already in force) by Welfare Reform Act 2007 (c. 5), s. 70(2), Sch. 3 para. 10(2); S.I. 2008/787, art. 2(1)(3)(a)(4)(f), Sch.S. 1(4)(za) inserted (25.2.2013 for specified purposes, 29.4.2013 in so far as not already in force) by Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5), s. 150(3), Sch. 2 para. 4; S.I. 2013/358, art. 2(1), Sch. 1 para. 20; S.I. 2013/983, art. 3(1)(b)(ii)S. 1(3)(za) inserted (8.4.2013 for specified purposes, 10.6.2013 in so far as not already in force) by Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5), s. 150(3), Sch. 9 para. 8(2)(a); S.I. 2013/358, art. 7(1)(2)(k), Sch. 3; S.I. 2013/1250, art. 2S. 1(3)(b) and preceding word repealed (8.4.2013 for specified purposes, 10.6.2013 in so far as not already in force) by Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5), s. 150(3), Sch. 9 para. 8(2)(b); S.I. 2013/358, art. 7(1)(2)(k), Sch. 3; S.I. 2013/1250, art. 2S. 1(4)(ad) inserted (8.4.2013 for specified purposes, 10.6.2013 in so far as not already in force) by Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5), s. 150(3), Sch. 9 para. 8(3); S.I. 2013/358, art. 7(1)(2)(k), Sch. 3; S.I. 2013/1250, art. 2S. 1 excluded (31.8.1992) by The Council Tax Benefit (Transitional) Order 1992 (S.I. 1992/1909), arts. 1(1), 3(1)S. 1(4)(zb) inserted (6.4.2016) by Pensions Act 2014 (c. 19), s. 56(4), Sch. 12 para. 9S. 1(2)(2A) substituted for s. 1(2) (6.4.2017) by Pensions Act 2014 (c. 19), s. 56(1), Sch. 16 para. 21(2); S.I. 2017/297, art. 3(2) (with arts. 4, 5)S. 1(4)(zc) inserted (6.4.2017) by Pensions Act 2014 (c. 19), s. 56(1), Sch. 16 para. 21(3); S.I. 2017/297, art. 3(2) (with arts. 4, 5)S. 1(2) excluded (9.2.2023) by The Bereavement Benefits (Remedial) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/134), arts. 1(2), 3(7) (with art. 2)