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Guidance

Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: release strategy

Updated 14 May 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unfulfilled-eligibility-in-the-benefit-system-release-strategy/unfulfilled-eligibility-in-the-benefit-system-publication-strategy

Introduction

To get welfare benefits people need to meet certain eligibility criteria and the amount of money they receive depends on their circumstances. Sometimes people tell us the wrong information or do not tell us when their circumstances change. Reporting accurate information and providing evidence may change the amount of benefit people are eligible for and in some circumstances, they may be eligible for more money. However, we cannot calculate the correct amount unless people tell us accurately about their circumstances. This means that people are not eligible for increases in the amount of money they receive until we have the correct information.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publishes Official Statistics about the levels of unfulfilled eligibility in the DWP benefit system. They estimate the amount of extra money benefit claimants could be getting if they told us accurately about their circumstances.

Management Information, data and analysis is regularly provided to officials within the department, allowing trends to be identified promptly and issues addressed, ensuring a continued focus on the issue of unfulfilled eligibility.

This document explains how we plan to release these statistics in future.

Future reporting

For Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2027, we are measuring the following benefits for unfulfilled eligibility:

  • Universal Credit
  • Housing Benefit (pension age, non-passported cases)
  • Pension Credit
  • State Pension
  • Personal Independence Payment

We intend to publish our FYE 2027 estimates in May 2027.

For more information about the information within this document, please email us: enquiries.fema@dwp.gov.uk

The Official Statistics can be found in the collection of unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system.

ISBN: 978-1-78659-924-7

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