Traffic light system
When you're on a benefit, there are things you and your partner need to do (your obligations). We have a traffic light colour system to help you stay on track with some of your obligations.
The traffic light system lets you know where you're at and what you need to do.
- Green – if you're at green, you're on track and meeting your obligations.
- Orange – you'll move to orange if you don't meet your obligations and you don't have a good reason. This means you need to contact us straight away. If you don't contact us and get back on track within 5 working days, you'll move to red.
- Red – once you're at red, your benefit could reduce or stop. If your benefit has reduced or stopped, you need to contact us immediately to get back on track.
If there's any reason why you can't meet your obligations, talk with us straight away. If you haven't been in touch, we'll try and contact you before you move to orange, to find out why you haven't met your obligations.
We'll send you a letter to let you know if you're at orange or red. You can also see in MyMSD what traffic light colour you're at.
Traffic light system in other languages and alternate formats
Who the traffic light system is for
You'll be in the traffic light system if you have work-related and/or social obligations, which are:
- find or prepare for work
- take part in Work Ability Assessments, to help us understand what kind of work you can do
- take part in activities with our service providers, to find a job or prepare for work
- social obligations (when taking care of dependent children).
If you get Youth Payment, Young Parent Payment or have a youth coach, you'll be in the traffic light system but your obligations are different. Go to the Youth Services website to find out what your obligations are.
Benefits with work-related and/or social obligations
You and your partner (if you have one) will have work-related and/or social obligations if you get one of these benefits:
- Jobseeker Support, or
- Sole Parent Support.
If your partner is under 18, they will have youth activity obligations. This means they'll be in the traffic light system but their obligations are different.
Traffic light system (Youth Service)external
You and your partner (if you have one) may have work-related and/or social obligations if you get either:
- Emergency Benefit, or
- Emergency Maintenance Allowance.
You will have other obligations as well. To find out what happens if you or your partner don't meet your other obligations, see 'When you don't meet your obligations'.
Your obligations while getting payments from us
When you don't meet your obligations
Supported Living Payment
Most people who get Supported Living Payment are not in the traffic light system. This is because you do not have an obligation to find work.
You will only be in the traffic light system if:
- you're taking care of dependent children, because this means you have social obligations (taking reasonable steps to make sure children get health checks and education)
- it has been assessed you can prepare for work and we have discussed this with you (very few people have this), or
- we've asked you to take part in a Work Ability Assessment or to work with a contracted service provider (very few people are asked to do this).
If you have a partner, their obligations are likely to be different. This means they could be included in the traffic light system, even if you're not.
Supported Living Payment obligations
Supported Living Payment obligations for partners
If you're at orange or red
You need to contact us straight away.
We'll help you get back on track so you can move back to green.
When you move back to green, we may set you more activities to do so you continue to meet your obligations.
When you don't meet your obligations - obligation failures
If you don't meet your obligations and you don't have a good reason, this is called an 'obligation failure'.
Once you're at red, we'll look at how many obligation failures you have. This will determine whether your benefit will reduce or stop.
Obligation failures will count against your benefit for 2 years.
What happens at orange
If you're at orange, it means you have not met your work-related or social obligations.
Contact us straight away and we'll book you an appointment to come in and see us. At your appointment we'll talk to you about why you haven't met your obligations.
If you don't contact us and get back on track within 5 working days, you'll move to red and your benefit will reduce or stop.
If you have a good reason for not meeting your obligations
If you have a good reason, we'll move you back to green at your appointment.
If you don't have a good reason for not meeting your obligations
At your appointment we'll let you know that you have an 'obligation failure'. This will count against your benefit for 2 years.
We'll also arrange for you to do an activity.
- If you do the activity within 5 working days from when you moved to orange, you'll move back to green.
- If you don't do the activity within 5 working days from when you moved to orange, you'll move to red.
Once you're at red, your benefit will reduce or stop, unless we've put you on:
If your benefit reduces or stops, you'll move back to green as soon as you do the activity.
What happens at red
If you're at red, your benefit has reduced or stopped, unless we've put you on:
We'll count the number of obligation failures you currently have against your benefit. It could be 1, 2 or 3. This will determine whether your benefit will reduce or stop.
It's more serious if you don't meet your obligation of accepting a suitable job offer. In this case, your benefit will be affected in the same way as if you have 3 obligation failures.
Contact us immediately if you're at red and haven't arranged to do an activity to get back on track.
You have 1 obligation failure
If you have 1 obligation failure, your benefit will reduce by 50% for 4 weeks. This won't happen if we've put you on:
If your benefit has reduced, contact us immediately and we'll arrange for you to do an activity.
Once you've done the activity, you'll move back to green and get your full payment again.
If you don't contact us or do the activity within 4 weeks
If you:
- don't have dependent children, your benefit will stop after 4 weeks
- have dependent children, we'll review your benefit after 4 weeks.
You can still contact us and arrange to do an activity to get back on track.
Once you've done the activity, you'll move back to green and get your full payment again.
You have 2 obligation failures
If you have 2 obligation failures, your benefit will either:
- be paid at 50%, if you have dependent children, or
- stop, if you don't have dependent children.
Contact us immediately and we'll arrange for you to do an activity.
Once you've done the activity, you'll move back to green and get your full payment again.
If you have dependent children and don't contact us within 4 weeks
If you have dependent children, we'll review your benefit after 4 weeks.
You have 3 obligation failures
If you have 3 obligation failures, or it's the first time you haven't accepted a suitable job offer without a good reason, your benefit will either:
- be paid at 50%, if you have dependent children, or
- stop, if you don't have dependent children.
Contact us immediately. We'll arrange for you to do another activity for 6 weeks and you will have to re-apply for your benefit.
If you agree to do the activity and you've re-applied for the benefit, you'll get your full payment again from the date you start the activity. If you don't complete the activity, you'll have to pay back any benefit payments you got in those 6 weeks. Once you've done the activity, you'll move back to green.
If you don't agree to do the activity, you won't be able to get a benefit for 13 weeks.
If you have dependent children and don't contact us within 4 weeks
If you have dependent children, we'll review your benefit after 4 weeks.
If you disagree with our decision
You may want to dispute or discuss a decision we've made. If so, you have 5 working days to contact us after we've let you know you haven't met your obligation.
If you still disagree with our decision, you can ask for a review of decision.