National statistics

Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2014/15 estimates

Final estimates of total overpayments and underpayments across the benefit system in financial year 2014/15.

Documents

Fraud and error in the benefit system: final 2014/15 estimates first release

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Tables: Fraud and error in the benefit system, final 2014/15 estimates

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Fraud and error in the benefit system: background information and methodology

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Fact sheet: Fraud and error in the benefit system, final 2014/15 estimates

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Infographic: Do you know? Insight into benefit fraud and error estimates

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Infographic: Methodology change, Housing Benefit

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Info-bite: Overpayments in the benefit system

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This report provides estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in Great Britain for the financial year 2014/15. The main points from the report are:

  • 1.8% of total benefit expenditure was overpaid due to fraud and error (the lowest recorded rate of overpayments)
  • the estimated value of overpayments is £3.0 billion (a fall from the 2013/14 estimated value of £3.4 billion)
  • the net government loss, after recoveries, is £2.1 billion, or 1.2% of benefit expenditure
  • 0.9% of total benefit expenditure (or £1.5bn) was underpaid due to fraud and error, both unchanged from 2013/14

Next release: May 2016.

More information

The final estimates on this page replace the archived preliminary 2014/2015 estimates published in May 2015.

Send any comments or questions about our fraud and error estimates to caxtonhouse.femaenquiries@dwp.gov.uk

Published 5 November 2015