The UC sanction rate has increased above pre-pandemic levels when compared to the 11 months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the beginning of the pandemic, conditionality was paused for Universal Credit claimants and in July 2020, the DWP reintroduced conditionality.
JSA sanctions, on the other hand, have shown a decrease as a % of the caseload. The monthly rate of JSA claimants with a sanction deduction decreased steadily from a peak of 1.78% in October 2013 to 0.01% in July 2020 where it has remained since.
How to challenge sanctions are covered in our course- Universal Credit – the Tricky Parts 2022