this may have been asked before - probably has - but a quick 'search' failed to find it.

client's employer fails to pay SSP and client has no income; does the DWP take a pro-active approach to employer if client claims benefit (IS) in consequence of having no income?

The DWP should take an "active approach" - contact the employer and also pay the employee if no response. How swiftly they actually do this now I dont know I'm afraid.

There are sadly many employers who don't pay SSP but should.

The worst case I have come across was a doctor's surgery manager who told the reception staff at the surgery they weren't entitled to SSP and they were!

Sometimes you have to push the DWP to take action. I once had to really oush as they were not that keen and were refusing IB as SSP should have been paid, however, in they end they did contact employer and the SSP came through. I think they threaten to send the Inland Revenue in and that seems to do the trick!

Or the client could take matters into her own hands and contact the Statutory Payments Disputes Team and Inland Revenue who will liase directly between employer and client. I think this is unlitmately where the DWP turn. In the few cases ive come across the ICB section were quite prompt in contacting the employer, but slower to chase the matter up.

So when I have similar cases i go straight to Inland revenue. Seems to me that it works and can be a quicker option. You can call them on 0115 9740000.

They will expect that the client has tried to resolve the matter themselves and dicussed it with their employer. They often want to know what reasons are cited in the SSP1 form by the employer for not paying.

thank you very much, very helpful

Cases like this are called 'SSP disputes'.

Since April 1999, responsibility for the operation of SSP(and SMP) has rested with HMRC (prev Inland Revenue) and not DWP/JCP.
If a customer contacts JCP about an SSP dispute, JCP procedure is quite clear- the customer is told to contact HMRC.
JCP should not get involved, as this is a dispute between the employee and the employer.

The only time when JCP gets 'involved', is if a customer actually makes an IB claim. When/if that happens, if JCP cannot establish SSP liability from the employer, a file is sent to the HMRC Statutory Paynments Team at Nottingham to resolve the dispute.
The IB claim will be decided, but payment will be suspended, until the HMRC makes a decision.

My experience of HMRC locally, is that they don't want to know- and send customer's back to JCP!.
The HMRC Statutory Payments Team at Nottingham deal with (I think) all SSP/SMP disputes nationally.