The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published estimates of take-up of income-related benefits for the financial year ending 2025 on 22 October 20261. The figures cover Great Britain and apply to England, Scotland and Wales1. They suggest that up to 2.6 million families missed out on Universal Credit or equivalent benefits, and that up to £12.7 billion in support went unclaimed2.
The report covers Pension Credit, Housing Benefit for pensioners, and Universal Credit or equivalent benefits1. The £12.7 billion working-age estimate does not include Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners, which are reported separately2. The working-age measure combines Universal Credit with the benefits it is replacing: income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit for working-age claimants2.
According to the estimates, 72% of families entitled to Universal Credit or equivalent benefits were receiving them in 2024/25, and 87% of the total money available through these benefits was claimed2. The average amount missed by an eligible family that did not claim was around £4,700 over the year2. Take-up differed by household type:
| Group | Share of eligible families claiming |
|---|---|
| Families with children | 81% |
| Families without children | 65% |
| All eligible families | 72% |
Source: DWP estimates as reported2.
The DWP's definition of "families" includes single adults living alone, couples and those with dependent children2. The figures are estimates rather than an exact count, and the DWP is still developing how it measures Universal Credit take-up2. The estimates are based on benefits people could have claimed between April 2024 and March 20252.
"The DWP estimates that only 72% of families entitled to Universal Credit or equivalent benefits were receiving them in 2024/25."
Why it matters for households
The estimates describe entitlement in 2024/25, not money now owed. Universal Credit claims can normally only be backdated by up to one month, and only in certain circumstances, so the figures do not mean that families who missed out can claim £4,700 in arrears2. The £4,700 is an average across eligible non-claiming families; some were entitled to more and some to less2.
The gap between households with and without children is the largest difference reported: around one in three eligible families without children were not claiming, against around one in five of those with children2. Having a job does not automatically rule someone out, as there is no set limit on working hours for Universal Credit; entitlement depends on earnings and circumstances2. For people already on older benefits, making a new Universal Credit claim can stop those payments, and a claimant may not be able to return to the previous benefits even if the application is unsuccessful2. Moving to Universal Credit sets out how the migration works.
The report also covers Pension Credit and Housing Benefit for pensioners, which are separate from the working-age total1. The DWP has not reported a combined unclaimed figure across all three benefits in the pages reviewed.
What happens next
No next steps have been announced. The DWP has said it is still developing how it measures Universal Credit take-up2. The published statistics are regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation1.
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