We created our digital tools to widen access to justice for people who would otherwise fail or give up because they cannot access an adviser.

Since legal aid cuts, far fewer people can get help challenging wrong benefit decisions, even when those decisions put them under severe financial and emotional pressure. This is especially damaging for people challenging Personal Independence Payment, Work capability assessment decisions (UC and ESA), DLA and Universal Credit sanctions,  where claimants need to understand complex legal criteria to successfully challenge the decision.

Our digital legal tools help people work out whether a decision should be challenged and generate a personalised mandatory reconsideration letter, effectively giving users adviser-style help online. As one happy user commented “It was just like a friend helping me”.

Image confirming Advicenow are a finalist in the Finacial Inclusion award

As the awards judges noted, the results are strong. 

  • 47% of users said they would not have challenged the decision at all without the tool.
  • 52% had their original decision overturned in their favour at mandatory reconsideration, more than double the national average of 23%. 
  • Last year the tools generated nearly 4,000 personalised letters, with 1,600 produced in the last quarter alone. 

We have tools to support people to ask for mandatory reconsiderations of PIP, work capability assessment (UC/ESA), DLA, and Universal Credit sanctions. 

If you don’t know them, please check them out as they are now officially brilliant! You can find them all on our Benefits page.
 

We're also in the running for the People's Award. Please vote for us now.