People making new claims for universal credit are being told to avoid its customer services line, after hundreds of complaints over wait times.
It said from Thursday, a new frontline team will be in place to proactively call customers where additional information is required.
Customers applying for universal credit are being advised to sign-up online, where they can share details such as salary and national insurance information for the DWP to assess.
It said claims will then be reviewed, and where additional details are needed, it will get in touch with you over the phone or via your online portal.
The move, it said, is designed to take some of the worry and frustration out of submitting a claim, while speeding it up by putting an end to long call wait times.
More than 1.2million people have applied for Universal Credit in the past three weeks after the Government increased the allowance by £1,000 and told households struggling due to coronavirus to apply for financial help.
And, in the past seven days, more than 5.8million calls have been made to its helpline, equivalent to three times the average per day.
The government previously said 950,000 people had begun a claim between March 16, when Boris Johnson told people to stay home, and March 31.
Last night the DWP admitted access to its phone lines had to be "controlled" in order to stop critical services like NHS 111 collapsing.
Now, it's urging people to avoid its phone lines altogether.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Therese Coffey said: “We are doing whatever it takes to make claiming benefits as straightforward as possible during a time when we are receiving an unprecedented number of claims.
“That’s why no one making a new claim to Universal Credit needs to call us.
“Once you’ve completed your online application, you can rest assured we have received your claim and we will call you if we need to check any of the information you’ve given us.”
The DWP team will continue to make calls over the Easter bank holiday weekend to speed up claims and prevent a backlog.
If you're due to receive a state pension, universal credit or disability benefit payment over Easter, this is when you'll be paid.
