Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system
Estimates of unfulfilled eligibility levels in the benefit system in Great Britain
These statistical reports provide estimates of unfulfilled eligibility for benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local authorities.
Accompanying each estimate report, we also publish data tables that provide the user with detailed estimates by different types of unfulfilled eligibility.
For further information on future releases of these statistics, please see the Unfulfilled Eligibility in the benefit system: publication strategy.
Find future DWP unfulfilled eligibility estimate release dates on the statistics release calendar and other DWP statistics on the Statistics at DWP page.
Please email us for feedback or more information: enquiries.fema@dwp.gov.uk
Next release date and key information
The next release of Unfulfilled Eligibility in the benefit system estimates will be published on 14 May 2026.
ISBN 978-1-78659-922-3
Changes to the next release
The following changes are minor adjustments and corrections following a methodological review. These changes do not have a material impact on the Unfulfilled Eligibility estimates. Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2025 published figures will be restated to reflect these changes and allow for accurate comparisons to be made.
Further detail on these changes will be included in the Background Information and Methodology note that will be published alongside the FYE 2026 statistics.
Consistency of recording Fraud and Error and Unfulfilled Eligibility where a change of circumstances does not impact the claimant’s award
We identified inconsistencies in our recording of errors and unfulfilled eligibility, where a change of circumstances does not impact the claimant’s award. To ensure consistent measurement and accurate reporting of the loss to the public purse, we are no longer recording any Fraud and Error (F&E) or unfulfilled eligibility that occurs on the same element of a claim when the award amount remains unchanged.
Where the award is affected, we will record a single overpayment or unfulfilled eligibility value, calculated as the difference between the impact of the error and the impact of the unfulfilled eligibility. This only applies when the claimant is responsible for both the overpayment and the unfulfilled eligibility – if the overpayment is due to Official Error, then both will continue to be recorded separately.
Correction to State Pension expenditure for FYE 2025
The expenditure figure that we used for State Pension in FYE 2025 was incorrect. Although the State Pension rates were unaffected, the monetary value of Unfulfilled Eligibility (MVUE) on State Pension was overstated.
In the upcoming release, we will correct this issue and restate the State Pension MVUE.
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Related publications
Updates to this page
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Added information about the next release of Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system.
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Added the Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: financial year 2023 to 2024 estimates.
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Added information about the next release of Unfulfilled Eligibility in the benefit system statistics and the changes that will happen.
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First published.