Official Statistics

Benefit cap: number of households capped to May 2025

Published 23 September 2025

This quarterly release of Benefit Cap Statistics covers data for Great Britain and is part of the Benefit Cap statistics collection. Data is available on Stat-Xplore.  

The next release is scheduled for 16 December 2025.

Changes effective from this release 

  The following changes have been introduced in this release of Benefit Cap statistics: 

From the September 2025 release the narrative in this summary document now only focuses on benefit capped households on Universal Credit (UC), as working-age Housing Benefit (HB) households on the Benefit Cap have nearly all been moved to UC. There remains a small number of households (540 households in May 2025) that are capped on HB. Although a summary of HB households on the Benefit Cap is not provided in this summary document, data for HB and UC households on the Benefit Cap is available on Stat-Xplore 

From this release we will update only the last 2 years of data in each release. The remainder of the time series has been frozen.  

The tables relating to HB (Tables 1, 2 and 3) in the supplementary ODS tables have been permanently withdrawn. 

For more on these changes see About these statistics. We welcome any feedback on these changes. 

1. Main stories 

All figures in this summary document refer to Benefit Cap on UC 

  The main stories are:

• In total, 124,000 households had their benefit capped, almost all of which are capped on UC (540 households had their benefit capped on HB) at May 2025 

• On UC, at May 2025: 

  • the number of capped households has increased by 11% (12,300) since February 2025 

  • 82% of benefit capped households included children 

  • 1.9% of working age households claiming UC had their benefits capped, an increase from 1.7% of households that had their benefit capped in February 2025 

  • the monthly average (mean) cap amount was £256, compared with £255 at February 2025 

• On UC, between February 2025 and April 2025: 

  • 22,000 were newly capped 

  • 34,000 households off-flowed from the benefit cap 

2. What you need to know 

The benefit cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit that most working age people can get and affects a number of benefits.  

The amount of benefit a household receives is reduced to ensure claimants do not receive more than the cap limit. The benefit cap can be applied through either: 

• Universal Credit (UC) 

• Housing Benefit (HB) 

The benefit cap was introduced in April 2013 and was initially applied to HB for working-age households. It also started to be applied to UC in April 2016.  The majority of claims are now capped in UC, however, a small number of the working age population may still apply for HB. For more information, see who can get HB and completing the move to UC. 

It is important to interpret the statistics provided on the Benefit Cap in the context of Benefit Cap levels and annual uprating of benefits. For the history of Benefit Cap levels refer to our background information and methodology document. 

Benefit cap statistics are presented on a point in time basis for the second Thursday in the month. For UC payments this means that all assessment periods that are active on that date are assessed to be in that month. For example, any assessment period active on 8 May 2025 would be counted as being in May 2025, but any assessment period that ended before 8 May 2025, or started after the 8 May 2025 would not be counted as being in May 2025 for the purposes of these statistics. An assessment period covers one month. 

Onflows are defined as households experiencing the benefit cap for the first time. Households that were previously capped and are returning to the benefit capped are not defined as an onflow. 

This release is accompanied by statistical data tables. Full data, including all historic data, is available on Stat-Xplore. 

More information on the background of the Benefit Cap and the methodology used in these statistics can be found in the background information and methodology document. 

For readers requiring text descriptions of charts, the paragraphs that follow each chart provides a description of the main information from the chart.

3. The number of capped households in Great Britain

Capped households increased in May 2025

Figure 1: Monthly number of total and UC capped households, Great Britain, May 2020 to May 2025

Note: Total capped households includes UC and HB. For data on HB capped households please refer to Stat-Xplore. 

Source: Benefit Cap HB point in time caseload and UC point in time caseload statistics, Stat Xplore

Figure 1 shows that nearly all households having their benefits capped are now capped in Universal Credit. A small proportion remain capped in Housing Benefit. For this reason, this summary will focus on capped households in UC as that will be representative of capped households as a whole. 

The chart shows there were 123,000 households capped in UC in May 2025. This is an increase of 12,300 (11%) from February 2025, and coincides with benefit uprating in April 2025. The timeseries between May 2024 and April 2025 had remained broadly stable within bounds of 108,000 to 117,000 households. 

Notable changes to the number of households being capped typically align with times when the benefit cap levels changes, or when benefits are uprated with no change to the benefit cap levels.

For example, when the benefit cap levels was increased in April 2023 the number of households being capped in Universal Credit fell by 21,000 households (22%) between April 2023 and May 2023 from 96,000 to 75,000. 

When the benefit cap levels were unchanged in April 2024 and benefits were uprated, the number of households being capped on UC increased from 70,000 households to 112,000 households (60% increase) between March 2024 and May 2024. In addition to this, there were other changes to benefits at this time including an increase to the Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This would have increased the amount of housing support households could potentially receive making them more likely to be affected by the Benefit Cap. The ‘Move to UC’ program was also ongoing at this time where some households would move from being capped on HB to being capped on UC.

Majority of households capped in February 2025 remain capped in May 2025

Figure 2: Movement of Benefit Cap households on Universal Credit on and off the Benefit Cap, Great Britain, February 2025 to May 2025

Note: Figures in the flow chart may not sum, due to households which flow on and off the cap between quarters not being included in the quarterly totals. 

Figure 2 is an infographic that shows of the 123,000 households being capped in UC:  

• 87,000 of these were on the benefit cap in February 2025  

• 22,000 households are on the benefit cap for the first time 

• 15,000 households are on the benefit cap having been capped before, but not at, February 2025  

• 180 households moved from being capped in HB in May 2025 to UC and remain capped. 

In addition, 34,000 households have moved off the benefit cap between February 2025 and April 2025.

22,000 households were newly capped in the latest quarter 

Figure 3: Quarterly total number of newly capped UC households, Great Britain, May 2020 to May 2025

Source: Benefit Cap UC cumulative caseload statistics, Stat-Xplore 

Figure 3 shows there were 22,000 households that had their benefits capped for the first time this quarter (February 2025 to April 2025). This is an increase from last quarter (November 2024 to January 2025) where 19,000 households were capped for the first time.   

Note: Newly capped households are those that have their benefits capped for the very first time. For UC, this excludes off-flows from the HB cap who then immediately become capped under UC. Figures may refer to different time periods.

Numbers of UC households that flowed off the cap increased for the latest quarter  

Figure 4: Quarterly total number of households that have flowed off the Benefit cap from May 2020 to May 2025

Source: Benefit Cap UC cumulative caseload statistics, Stat-Xplore

Figure 4 shows there were 34,000 households leaving the Benefit Cap in the quarter to May 2025. This is up from 26,000 households for the previous quarter ending February 2025.

Of these off-flows, 7,300 households (21%) were also on-flows during this quarter. This means that these households had their UC capped for the first time and left the cap during this quarter.

The highest number of UC off-flows in one-quarter was for the quarter to November 2021 when 45,000 claims flowed off the cap. During this period, in October 2021, the temporary £20 a week increase to UC introduced during the pandemic was withdrawn.

There was a higher number of off-flows in the quarter to May 2023 than there were in the previous quarters (32,000). This should be seen in the context of the increased benefit cap levels which were implemented from April 2023.

In the quarter to May 2025, 9% (3,100) of UC households that flowed off the cap left the cap due to having employment earnings at, or over, the employment earnings threshold. The remaining 91% (32,000) left due to other reasons; examples include a household’s benefit income has reduced under the cap levels, a household is in receipt of an exempting benefit, or a household is no longer claiming UC. This compares to 9% (2,300) of UC households that left due to earning over the earnings threshold, and 91% (23,000) leaving the cap due to other reasons, in the quarter to February 2025.

The employment earnings exemption threshold is subject to change each financial year. The earnings exemption threshold is £846 for the Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2026. Details of previous exemption threshold levels can be found in background information and methodology document.

Off-flow outcomes are shown as at the end of the quarter in which a household moved off the benefit cap, meaning the outcomes are fixed at that point, unless a household is capped again at a later date. More detail on the way off-flow outcomes are determined is included in the background information and methodology document.

4. Characteristics of capped households

There were 82% (103,000) of households that had their UC capped that included children at May 2025.  

Of the households including children, capped at May 2025: 

• 93% (95,000) had between 1 and 4 children 

• 7% (7,600) had 5 or more children

The most common family size for UC capped households is 2 children  

Figure 5: Proportion of UC capped households by number of children, Great Britain, May 2025

Source: Benefit Cap, UC point in time caseload statistics, Stat Xplore 

Figure 5 shows households with 2 or 3 children are the most common family sizes (34% and 27% respectively) for capped households in May 2025.  

The least common family sizes are 5 or more children (7%) and one child (9%).  

There were 18% of households capped in UC without children.

The majority of households that have their benefits capped are single parent households

Figure 6: Proportion of capped households by household type, Great Britain, May 2020 to May 2025

Source: Benefit Cap UC point in time caseload statistics, Stat Xplore   

Note: This graph is plotted using quarterly point in time figures.

Figure 6 shows:

Single parent households have consistently accounted for the most households having their benefits capped since the beginning of the time series in May 2020.

69% of capped households were single parent families in May 2025. The proportion of benefit capped households that are single parent families have been gradually falling since the peak of 75% in August 2023.

The proportion of capped households that are single person households with no children have been gradually increasing from a low of 9% in May 2023 to 17% in May 2025. In November 2024 they became a greater proportion of capped households than couple households with children for the first time in the charted time series.

Couple households with children accounted for 14% of capped households in May 2025. This has been gradually falling since a peak of 26% in February 2021.

Over half of all single-parent households capped on UC have a youngest child under the age of 5 at May 2025 

Figure 7: Number of capped UC single parent households by age of youngest child at May 2025.

Source: DWP Universal Credit Quarterly Statistics, DWP Housing Benefit Caseload Statistics. 

Figure 7 shows: 

Of single-parent UC capped households, 48,000 (61%) have at least one child aged under 5 years at May 2025. In the same month there were 23,000 (29%) of single-parent UC capped households having a child aged under 2 years.

Regional UC capped households 

Figure 8: Proportion of UC households capped at Region and devolved administration level at May 2025

Region	Percentage of UC households benefit capped
London	3.8%
South East	2.8%
East of England	2.3%
West Midland	1.7%
South West	1.5%
East Midland	1.2%
North West	1.1%
Yorkshire and The Humber	1.1%
Wales	1.0%
North East	0.7%
Scotland	0.6%

The proportion of households claiming UC that had their benefits capped at May 2025 was 1.9%, compared with 1.7% as at February 2025. The London region continues to have the highest proportion of UC households affected by the benefit cap, with 3.8% capped at May 2025, compared with 3.6% at February 2025. 

At May 2025 Scotland remains the region with the lowest proportion of UC households capped at 0.6%.

The proportion of UC claiming households that are capped is greatest in London and the South East local authorities 

Figure 9: Proportion of UC households capped at Local Authority level at May 2025

Source: DWP Universal Credit Quarterly Statistics and Benefit Cap UC point in time caseload statistics. Stat-Xplore 

Figure 9 is a heat map of Great Britain that shows: 

Of the 10 Local Authorities (LAs) with the highest proportion of UC households having their benefits capped at May 2025; 4 of them are in the London region, 4 are in the South East region and 2 are in the East of England region. 9 of the LAs were among the top 10 with the highest proportion of UC households having their benefits capped at February 2025.

Top 10 Local authorities with highest proportion of capped UC households in May 2025

Local Authority	Region	Proportion of UC households capped
Watford	East of England	6.3%
Elmbridge	South East	6.3%
Spelthorne	South East	6.1%
Enfield	London	5.9%
Hertsmere	East of England	5.9%
Barnet	London	5.8%
Harrow	London	5.5%
Runnymede	South East	5.4%
Haringey	London	5.4%
Reading	South East	5.3%

5. The financial impact of being capped 

The average monthly amount capped for UC is broadly unchanged at May 2025 when compared to February 2025  

Figure 10: Assessment period (monthly) capped amount for UC households from May 2020 to May 2025

Source: Benefit Cap UC point in time Statistics, Stat-Xplore 

Note: This graph is plotted using quarterly point in time figures. 

Figure 10 shows: 

The monthly average (mean) amount that UC households are capped by is £256 at May 2025. This compares with a monthly average of £255 at February 2025.

Proportion of UC capped households by cap amount

The majority of capped households are capped by less than £200 for the assessment period for May 2025: 

• 54% (67,000) of households that had their UC capped were capped by £200 or less for the assessment period 

• 25% (31,000) were capped by £200.01 to £400 for the assessment period 

• 11% (14,000) were capped by £400.01 to £600 for the assessment period 

• 5% (6,200) were capped by £600.01 to £800 for the assessment period 

• 4% (5,300) were capped by more than £800 for the assessment period, including 1% (960) capped by more than £1,300 for the assessment period

6. About these statistics 

Changes effective from this release 

Summary reporting on Benefit Cap through UC only 

From the September 2025 release the narrative in this summary document now only focuses on benefit capped households on Universal Credit (UC). This decision to make this change was based on the very small HB caseload as working-age Housing Benefit (HB) households on the Benefit Cap have nearly all been moved to UC. With the very small numbers being capped on HB, it was considered that the value added from including a separate HB narrative and charts, or including a narrative on combined UC and HB figures, did not meet the resources required to produce it. For users that require HB data, the data will continue to be available on Stat-Xplore.

Withdrawal of HB supplementary data tables 

As new claims for housing support through benefits are now made to UC and the “Move to UC” Programme continues to move working-age HB households to UC, the number of households that are being capped in HB has fallen to very small levels. Due to this small number of capped households in HB it has been decided to permanently withdraw the following tables from the supplementary data tables with effect from this release:

• Table 1 – Housing Benefit: Point-in-time Caseload for latest month by Family Type and Age of Youngest Child Dependant 

• Table 2 – Housing Benefit: Point-in-time Caseload for latest month by Benefit Claimed 

• Table 3 - Cumulative Caseload by Age of Youngest Child Dependant and Outcome at Off-flow

With negligible numbers in the sub-groups, these tables no longer provide value. Data on capped HB cases will continue to be available on Stat-Xplore.

Freezing historic data 

From this release the methodology to produce the Universal Credit data in Benefit Cap statistics has been changed from revising the whole time series with each release to only revising the last 2 years. The remainder of the time series has been frozen. This period was chosen as the majority of retrospection occurs within the last 2 years and, although there is some retrospection beyond that, it is minimal and does not change trends. This period also aligns Benefit Cap statistics with the scheduled revisions methodology for the UC official statistics households series.

Release schedule 

The statistics are published quarterly in March, June, September, and December and are sourced from data originally collected via administrative systems. The dates for forthcoming releases are announced on the GOV.UK Statistics and Research release calendar.

Status of these statistics 

These are official statistics. Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing the statistical production team. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or through the OSR website.

Rounding 

Volumes and amounts have been rounded as detailed below.  Sometimes figures are rounded differently where comparisons between figures are made based on different rounding precisions, or where the rounding of figures could potentially give a misleading picture of the statistics and trends. For more information, please see the Background Information and Methodology document. 

Percentages are calculated using numbers prior to rounding and rounded to the nearest whole percentage point.

Range	Rounded to the nearest
0 to 1,000	10
1,001 to 10,000	100
10,001 to 100,000	1,000
100,001 to 1,000,000	10,000
1,000,001 to 10,000,000	100,000
10,000,001 to 100,000,000	1,000,000

Data sources 

Data for UC is sourced from the administrative system called Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS). Before April 2019, Universal Credit was administered on UCFS and a separate system called Live Service. It is not possible to obtain benefit capped data from the Live Service system and the data before April 2019 is only for UC households administered on UCFS.

Note: UC statistics throughout this release refer to data from Universal Credit Full Service (UCFS) only. This is especially important to remember when looking at time series data.

Figures relating to households with their UC capped are subject to retrospection and may be revised for a 2 year period. For more information, see the Background Information and Methodology document.

The proportion capped figures have been calculated using working age HB and UC household figures obtained from Stat-Xplore. The total number of HB and UC capped households have been divided by the total number of working age households on HB and UC respectively to obtain these figures.

Data period 

Figures relating to on-flows, newly capped and off-flows refer to the time period February 2025 to April 2025. Figures relating to remaining capped or returning to the cap refer to the time period February 2025 to May 2025. The difference is due to the methodology used to obtain outcome at off-flow (including households that flow from the HB cap to the UC cap), as it is not possible to obtain outcome data for May 2025, at May 2025.

Where to find out more 

Use Stat-Xplore to create your own tables and further breakdowns of these statistics. 

Understand background Information and methodology about these statistics. 

See older releases of these statistics. 

Read more information on the benefit cap.

Related statistics 

• statistics for households who have their benefits capped in Northern Ireland 

• statistics on UC caseload 

• statistics on HB caseload 

• Move to UC statistics 

• statistics on Local Authorities’ use of Discretionary Housing Payment funds

7. Contact details 

We welcome feedback and suggestions for improvements. 

For any queries or feedback on these statistics, please contact us at the email below. We are unable to assist with non-statistical queries. 

Lead Statistician: Stephen Slater   

Producers: Stephen Slater, MD Akmal Hossain Sadi and Michael Agholor   

Email: cbm.stats@dwp.gov.uk 

Press enquiries should be directed to the DWP Press Office

ISBN: 978-1-78659-877-6.