Accredited official statistics

Housing Benefit Debt Recoveries statistics: April 2023 to March 2024

Published 4 September 2024

Housing Benefit (HB) is an income-related benefit that is intended to help meet housing costs for rented accommodation.

This publication updates statistics on the amount of HB that local authorities (LAs) identified had been overpaid to claimants, the amount recovered, and the amount written-off, with data for the financial year ending (FYE) 2024 (April 2023 to March 2024).

1. Main stories

During FYE 2024:

• LAs identified £445 million overpaid HB – £14 million more than during FYE 2023

• LAs recovered £439 million overpaid HB – £32 million more than during FYE 2023

• LAs wrote off £68 million overpaid HB – £4 million less than during FYE 2023

• at the start of Q4 of FYE 2024, there was £1.6 billion outstanding overpaid HB – £74 million less than at the start of Q4 of FYE 2023

2. What you need to know

This summary contains statistics on the amount of overpaid HB identified, recovered and written-off by LAs. The statistics are based on the Housing Benefit Debt Recovery (HBDR) returns, collected from LAs each quarter. 

The statistics are published twice a year, in March and September. The March publication contains data for the first two quarters of the financial year (April to September). The September publication contains data for the whole of the financial year.

Data tables containing data that underpin the charts and figures featured in this statistical summary are available. As well as the regional and GB totals shown in this statistical summary, the data tables show figures for individual LAs.

LAs are expected to send data returns for all fields on a quarterly basis but sometimes for various reasons this doesn’t happen, or they can’t provide data for some fields. The amount of missing information at the start of the series was more prevalent, but since Quarter 3 of FYE 2017 the amount of missing information is minimal. In FYE 2024, 99.2% of expected returns were received from LAs. 

Because of the greater amount of missing data in the early series, estimates were made to impute Great Britain (GB) totals. As a result, charts in this summary and the ODS tables include ‘imputed’ GB totals based on estimates for missing data up to Quarter 2 of FYE 2017. As the data return rate is high from this date no estimates have been made for missing data from Q3 of FYE 2017.

Since the end of 2018, the majority of new working age claimants are required to claim the housing element of Universal Credit (UC), rather than HB. The number of working-age people making new claims to HB has, therefore, steadily decreased from the rollout of UC. Existing HB claimants were not automatically moved to UC, however, when claimants declare a change of circumstance to their HB claim, they are now transferred to UC - if the claim is eligible. This has had an impact, both on the amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs, and the amount of overpaid HB that they recover.

3. Total outstanding HB overpayments

Total outstanding HB overpayments in GB at the start of each quarter: Q1 FYE 2010 to Q4 FYE 2024

Note: GB figures up to Q2 of FYE 2017 are “imputed” totals, based on estimates of missing LA data.  From Q3 of FYE 2017, figures shown are those actually returned by LAs.

Source: HBDR data tables. Figures in the graph are plotted at quarterly intervals throughout each financial year.

At the start of Q4 of FYE 2024, total outstanding HB overpayments stood at £1.6 billion.  This was £74 million (4%) less than at the start of Q4 of FYE 2023.

Up to the end of FYE 2018, the amount of overpaid HB that LAs recovered or wrote-off each quarter was, on average, around 75% to 80% of the amount of overpaid HB that they identified.  As a result, the total amount of outstanding overpaid HB steadily increased.

Since Q1 FYE 2020, the total amount of overpaid HB outstanding has been falling because LAs are recovering or writing-off more HB overpayments than they newly identify. In Q4 of FYE 2024, LAs recovered £113 million overpaid HB and wrote-off £21 million overpaid HB, compared with £112 million overpaid HB identified.

Amount of overpaid HB identified / recovered and written-off by LAs: Q1 FYE 2010 to Q4 FYE 2024

Note: GB figures up to Q2 of FYE 2017 are “imputed” totals, based on estimates of missing LA data.  From Q3 of FYE 2017, figures shown are those actually returned by LAs.

Source: HBDR data tables. Figures in the graph are plotted at quarterly intervals throughout each financial year.

During the COVID lockdowns, many LAs redeployed staff away from debt recovery to frontline activities and restricted face-to-face meetings between staff and claimants.  Subsequently, FYE 2021 saw the lowest amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs since the statistics began.  In total, £380 million of overpaid HB was identified in FYE 2021 compared with £599 million in FYE 2020. 

The amount of overpaid HB that LAs identified increased by £31 million, (8%), between FYE 2021 and FYE 2022, to £411 million. The figure has continued to increase to £431 million in the FYE 2023, a 5% increase from FYE 2022.  The trend has continued with an increase to £445 million in FYE 2024, a 3% increase from FYE 2023.  

Since the series began amounts identified each quarter have fluctuated but reached a high of £321 million in Q2 YE 2016, then fell to a low of £92 million in Q3 2021. Following this, figures continued to fluctuate but followed a gradually increasing trend to £112 million in Q4 2024.

The quarterly amount of overpaid HB that LAs recovered and wrote off has also fluctuated but followed a similar trend. Quarterly figures reached a high of £210 million in Q4 2018, then fell to £112 million in Q2 2021, rising gradually to £135 million in Q4 2024.

Total outstanding HB overpayments by region, at the start of Q4 FYE 2024

Region	Total outstanding HB overpayments (£ millions)	Percentage of GB total
Great Britain	1,628	100%
North East	45	3%
North West	152	9%
Yorkshire and The Humber	83	5%
East Midlands	71	4%
West Midlands	143	9%
East	105	6%
London	592	36%
South East	178	11%
South West	86	5%
Wales	43	3%
Scotland	129	8%

Source: HBDR data tables.

At the start of Q4 of FYE 2024, London LAs reported £592 million outstanding overpaid HB, over a third (36%) of the GB total. At the start of Q4 of FYE 2024, 89% of the outstanding overpaid HB in GB was in LAs in England, 3% in LAs in Wales and 8% in LAs in Scotland.

4. HB overpayments newly identified by LAs

There was a steady increase in the amount of overpaid HB that LAs identified, from £151 million in Q1 of FYE 2010 to £213 million in Q2 of FYE 2015. 

In Q3 of FYE 2015, there was a sharp increase in the amount of overpaid HB identified, followed by several years in which the amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs fluctuated.

There was a sustained fall in the amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs, from £190 million in Q3 of FYE 2019 to £92 million in Q3 of FYE 2021.  The amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs subsequently increased to £107 million in Q2 of FYE 2022, however it then began to fall and was £100 million in Q4 of FYE 2022. The figure has since increased and in quarter 4 of FYE 2023 it was £114 million. The figures have fluctuated throughout FYE 2024 with a low of £107 million in Q1 and a high of £118 in Q2, ending in Q4 with £112 million.

Factors which may have influenced the amount of HB overpayment identified by LAs include:

• the Fraud and Error Reduction Incentive Scheme (FERIS) was introduced in Q3 of FYE 2015 to help LAs to identify and prevent HB overpayment. Around the same time, real-time information (RTI) on claimant’s incomes became available to LAs. The income that claimants reported on their HB claims was checked against RTI on claimants’ actual income from HMRC. These checks led to undeclared income, and consequently overpaid HB, being identified by LAs

• UC rollout – the rollout of UC was completed in December 2018 and now the majority of new working age applications for help with housing costs are processed through UC across GB and only claims made in particular circumstances are eligible for HB

• during the COVID lockdowns many LAs redeployed staff away from debt recovery to frontline activities and restricted face-to-face meetings between staff and claimants

• the HB Award Accuracy Initiative (HBAA) is a process whereby the department uses targeted data matching to identify HB cases with the highest risk of an undeclared change. The initiative then provides funds and encourages LAs to undertake proactive reviews

HB overpayments newly identified in GB: Q1 FYE 2010 to Q4 FYE 2024

Note: GB figures up to Q2 of FYE 2017 are “imputed” totals, based on estimates of missing LA data. From Q3 of FYE 2017, figures shown are those actually returned by LAs.

Source: HBDR data tables. Figures in the graph are plotted at quarterly intervals throughout each financial year.

HB overpayments newly identified by LAs, by region, FYE 2024

Region	HB overpayments identified (£ millions)	Percentage of GB total
Great Britain	445	100%
North East	11	2%
North West	40	9%
Yorkshire and The Humber	26	6%
East Midlands	20	4%
West Midlands	52	12%
East	31	7%
London	146	33%
South East	53	12%
South West	26	6%
Wales	15	3%
Scotland	24	5%

Source: HBDR data tables.

The amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs in FYE 2024 ranged from £11 million (2% of the GB total) in the North East to £146 million (33% of the GB total) in London.  Of the overpaid HB identified in GB, 91% was identified by LAs in England, 3% by LAs in Wales and 5% by LAs in Scotland.

Average HB overpayment newly identified per claimant per month by region during FYE 2024

Region	Average HB overpayment newly identified per claimant per month
Great Britain	£16.27
England	£17.54
North East	£7.85
North West	£12.02
Yorkshire and the Humber	£11.67
East Midlands	£11.82
West Midlands	£20.40
East	£15.09
London	£29.78
South East	£18.10
South West	£13.04
Wales	£10.60
Scotland	£8.53

Source: HBDR data tables. The table allows comparisons by region and is not an indication of typical levels of overpayment per region.

To allow us to compare figures by region we have calculated the amount of overpayment identified per claimant per month. During FYE 2024 LAs in GB identified, on average, overpaid HB equivalent to £16.27 per claimant per month. LAs in London identified the highest amount of overpaid HB, equivalent to £29.78 per claimant per month. LAs in England identified overpaid HB equivalent to £17.54 per claimant per month, compared with £10.60 in Wales and £8.53 in Scotland.

5. HB overpayments recovered

The amount of overpaid HB recovered by LAs steadily increased, reaching a high of £175 million in Q4 of FYE 2018. Subsequently, the amount of overpaid HB recovered by LAs fell steadily, to £132 million in Q4 of FYE 2020.

The start of the COVID-19 lockdown saw a sharp fall in the amount of overpaid HB recovered by LAs. In Q1 of FYE 2021, it fell by nearly £30 million, to £103 million. In Q2 of FYE 2021 it fell again to £99 million. There was a small increase in the amount of overpaid HB recovered by LAs, to £109 million in Q2 of FYE 2022, however by Q1 of FYE 2023 it had fallen further to £98 million. Since then it has fluctuated but risen gradually to £105 million in Q4 of FYE 2023 and in Q4 of FYE 2024 the amount recovered is £113 million.

HB overpayments recovered in GB from Q1 of FYE 2010 to Q4 of FYE 2024 (£ millions)

Note: GB figures up to Q2 of FYE 2017 are “imputed” totals, based on estimates of missing LA data. From Q3 of FYE 2017, figures shown are those actually returned by LAs.

Source: HBDR data tables. 

HB overpayments recovered by region, FYE 2024

Region	HB overpayments recovered (£ millions)	% of GB total
Great Britain	439	100%
North East	13	3%
North West	41	9%
Yorkshire and The Humber	27	6%
East Midlands	21	5%
West Midlands	53	12%
East	33	8%
London	132	30%
South East	53	12%
South West	26	6%
Wales	14	3%
Scotland	25	6%

Source: HBDR data tables.

In FYE 2024, LAs in London reported 30% of the total amount of HB overpayments recovered in GB. Of the total HB overpayments recovered in GB, 91% was recovered by LAs in England, 3% by LAs in Wales and 6% by LAs in Scotland.

6. HB overpayments written-off

HB overpayments written-off in GB, from Q4 of FYE 2010 to Q4 of FYE 2024 (£ millions)

Note: GB figures up to Q2 of FYE 2017 are “imputed” totals, based on estimates of missing LA data. From Q3 of FYE 2017, figures shown are those actually returned by LAs.

Source: HBDR data tables. HB written off figures in the graph are plotted at quarterly intervals throughout each financial year, whereas the average is calculated on a quarterly basis using the current quarter along with the sum of the previous three quarters and then divided by 4.

Each year, the amount of overpaid HB written-off by LAs has been highest in Q4 (January to March) of the financial year, then in Q1 of the following year there is a sharp fall. More information of possible causes for this spike can be found in the background information and methodology note. To help smooth out this trend the chart above includes an average amount line.

Focusing on financial year ending figures since the series began, FYE 2018 saw the highest amount of overpaid HB written-off at £100 million, the annual amount then fell to £63 million in FYE 2022 before rising to £72 million in FYE 2023. The latest FYE 2024 has seen a fall to £68 million. Despite this annual fall, the quarterly amounts written off during the latest financial year have fluctuated and risen from £15 million (Q1) to £21 million (Q4). 

HB overpayments written-off by region, FYE 2024

Region	HB overpayments written-off (£ millions)	Percentage of GB total
Great Britain	68	100%
North East	2	3%
North West	7	10%
Yorkshire and The Humber	4	6%
East Midlands	4	6%
West Midlands	6	9%
East	4	5%
London	20	30%
South East	8	12%
South West	5	7%
Wales	2	4%
Scotland	5	7%

Source: HBDR data tables.

The amount of overpaid HB written-off by LAs in FYE 2024 ranged from £2 million (3% of the GB total) in the North East to £20 million (30% of the GB total) in London. 89% of written-off amounts were made by LAs in England, 4% by LAs in Wales and 7% by LAs in Scotland.

7. About these statistics

This summary contains statistics on the amount of overpaid HB identified, recovered and written-off by LAs. The statistics are based on the Housing Benefit Debt Recovery (HBDR) returns, collected from LAs each quarter. 

Publication schedule

The statistics are published twice a year, in March and September. The March publication contains data for the first two quarters of the financial year (April to September). The September publication updates the statistics with data for the whole of the financial year.  Where LAs notified us of changes to their first two quarters’ data or provided a late Quarter 1 or Quarter 2 return after the deadline for the March publication, these have been incorporated into the September publication.

Supplementary statistics

Data tables containing data that underpin the charts and figures featured in this statistical summary are available. As well as the regional and GB totals shown in this statistical summary, the data tables show figures for individual LAs.

LAs are asked to provide a breakdown between overpaid “Rent Rebate” (HB paid to LA tenants) and “Rent Allowance” (HB paid to housing association and private sector tenants). This breakdown is shown in the supplementary tables, in those LAs for which it is available.

Data completeness

Up to Q2 of FYE 2017, when an LA did not send a return GB totals were imputed using methodology detailed in the background information and methodology note. From Q3 of FYE 2017 the return rate improved to a point that imputation of GB totals was no longer necessary, and all figures in the series from this date are from actual returns.

It is worth noting that the Debt Recovery amounts are derived from LA finance systems. Sometimes changes to LAs’ IT processes and system conversions can result in higher levels of LA non-returns whilst these changes are taking place. Sometimes we need to omit certain LA data due to concerns over the quality of the data however the omission of LA data does not change the story in the release but can sometimes have a slight impact on regional level figures. Cyber-attacks can also impact a small number of LA’s data returns.

Comparability

As well as missing data, the background information and methodology document describes a number of other factors that need to be considered when comparing data. These include:

• it is not possible to make direct comparisons between the amount of HB overpayments that LAs identify during a particular period and the amount of overpayment that they recover in that period. Firstly, because overpayments are not necessarily identified in the same period that they occurred. Secondly, because overpayments are not necessarily recovered in the same period that they are identified

• the number of people claiming HB has been decreasing and will continue to fall as UC replaces HB for working age claimants

• FERIS provided LAs with tools to help them identify and prevent overpaid HB.  RTI on claimants’ income became available to LAs at around the same time (Q3 of FYE 2015).  This allowed LAs to identify income that claimants had failed to report on their HB claims, which in turn led to an increase in the amount of overpaid HB that LAs were able to identify

• at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many LAs redeployed staff away from debt recovery to frontline activities and restricted face-to-face meetings between staff and claimants

• LAs sometimes identify an amount by which a HB claimant has been overpaid, but then revise this amount at a later date. In some cases, for instance, “underlying entitlement” might be retrospectively applied to an overpayment, reducing the amount that the claimant was originally thought to owe. Conversely, an LA might retrospectively reverse their decision to write-off an overpayment. These revisions lead to a discrepancy between figures for one quarter and the next

The total amount of HB overpayment at the start of a quarter should, in theory, equal the total amount of overpayment at the start of the previous quarter, plus the amount of overpayment newly identified during the previous quarter, minus the amount of overpayment recovered and written-off during the previous quarter.

However, this is not the case in all LAs. Nationally, the total amount of outstanding HB overpayment that LAs reported at the start of Q4 of FYE 2024 was 0.91% less than the figures reported in Q3 suggested it would be. This difference was a result of revisions made in Q4 to overpayments that LAs first identified in previous quarters. The background information and methodology document describes this issue in more detail.

Local authority mergers

The statistics shown in this publication are based on the current LA configuration following any LA merges. Therefore, figures for the “old” LAs that merged to form the new LAs are no longer shown. This is consistent with HB caseload figures published on Stat-Xplore.

Average HB overpayment identified per claimant per month

This summary includes a table showing the equivalent amount of overpaid HB, per claimant per month. This is calculated by dividing the total amount of overpaid HB identified by LAs in FYE 2024, by the sum of the HB caseload in each month of FYE 2024. Data on the number of HB claimants was taken from Stat-Xplore.

This is not an exact measure because, although LAs might report during a particular quarter that they had identified an amount of overpaid HB, this overpayment might have occurred in a previous quarter or financial year and the claimant whose HB was overpaid may no longer have been receiving HB when the overpayment was identified.

Rounding policy

Percentage figures presented in this document are rounded to the nearest 1%. In some cases, figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

In the supplementary tables, raw data provided by LAs have been added to generate regional and national totals, before being rounded to the nearest £1,000. As a result of this rounding, the sum of the LA figures shown in the tables may be slightly different to the regional and national totals. 

Related statistics

These statistics show the amount of HB overpayment that is identified and subsequently recovered by LAs. The [DWP fraud and error statistics] (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system) provide estimates of fraud and error for benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local authorities.

9. HBDR data: collection processes and accuracy

Data collection

The table below details the list of questions asked to LAs as part of the data collection process.

Field	Overpayment Questions
1	Total value of HB overpayments outstanding at the start of the quarter
2	Total value of HB overpayments identified during the quarter
3	Total value of HB overpayments recovered during the quarter
4	Total value of HB overpayments written-off during the quarter

LAs are asked to provide a breakdown between overpaid “Rent Rebate” (HB paid to LA tenants) and “Rent Allowance” (HB paid to housing association and private sector tenants). Where this breakdown is available it is shown in the “supplementary tables”.

Average data return rates

Collection Period	Percentage of HB caseload covered by the HBDR returns
FYE 2009	74.0%
FYE 2010	96.5%
FYE 2011	96.3%
FYE 2012	97.9%
FYE 2013	98.7 %
FYE 2014	99.1%
FYE 2015	99.3%
FYE 2016	99.9%
FYE 2017	99.3%
FYE 2018	100.0%
FYE 2019	100.0%
FYE 2020	99.9%
FYE 2021	99.3%
FYE 2022	99.2%
FYE 2023	99.6%
FYE 2024	99.2%

10. Further information

Our background information and methodology document provides further information on the HBDR statistics, including some of the processes involved in developing and releasing these statistics.

Data tables containing data that underpin the charts and figures featured in this statistical summary are also published.

Status of statistics

These statistics are accredited official statistics and were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in June 2012. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should therefore be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. In order to assess the quality of the HBDR statistics, in July 2021, LAs were sent a survey, asking them a number of questions about how they complete their returns. Information collected on this survey has been incorporated into the background information and methodology document.

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.  Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the Office for Statistics Regulation website.

Scheduled Releases

A schedule of statistical releases over the next 12 months and a list of the most recent releases

Feedback

Specific HBDR statistics feedback can be submitted via our HBDR user questionnaire.

Completed questionnaires can be returned by email to cbm.stats@dwp.gov.uk

Users can also join the “Welfare and Benefit Statistics” community. DWP announces items of interest to users via this forum, as well as replying to users’ questions

Lead Statistician: Gillian Leighton cbm.stats@dwp.gov.uk

Press enquiries should be directed to the DWP Press Office.

ISBN: 978-1-78659-701-4