Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system, Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2025
Published 15 May 2025
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/unfulfilled-eligibility-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2024-to-2025-estimates/unfulfilled-eligibility-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-ending-fye-2025
1. Introduction
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays welfare benefits to around 23.7 million people. 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.
This publication estimates how much extra money benefit claimants could be getting if they told us accurately about their circumstances. These people are already getting some money on a certain benefit but may not be getting all the money they could be eligible for on this benefit – we call this unfulfilled eligibility.
This publication does not cover take-up of benefits, which is where people could have claimed certain benefits based on their current circumstances but have not done so. Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up is a separate publication about take-up of benefits.
These unfulfilled eligibility estimates are based on information that was previously included in the Fraud and error in the benefit system statistics as Claimant Error underpayments. They were removed and reclassified and are now published separately here following a planned review of the fraud and error statistics that was referred to in its FYE 2023 publication. The purpose of this review was to align the statistics more closely with benefit legislation. The review determined that the estimates now included in this unfulfilled eligibility publication should not be defined as underpayments. In benefit legislation, people are not eligible for increases in the amount of money they get until they tell us all the correct information.
Estimates are only available from FYE 2024 onwards. Estimates of unfulfilled eligibility before FYE 2024 are not directly comparable to previous estimates of Claimant Error underpayments published in the fraud and error statistics. While the two calculation methodologies are very similar, there is one difference relating to the netting adjustment that has a minimal impact on the estimates. Further details on the difference in methodology are available in the background information and methodology note.
Unfulfilled eligibility is calculated as a percentage of the total amount of benefit paid by the department – expenditure. These percentages are referred to as rates throughout this publication. The proportion of benefit claims with unfulfilled eligibility is also reported.
The rates found are then applied to the benefit expenditure for the Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2025 to estimate the monetary amount of unfulfilled eligibility. The benefit expenditure figures used are consistent with Spring Statement 2025.
Estimates in this publication relate to benefit claims sampled between September 2023 and October 2024. See Appendix 1 for specific time periods relating to each reviewed benefit.
Analysis is undertaken to provide assurance that the sampling period is representative of the financial year. However, actions taken by the department within the financial year may not always be fully reflected within the statistics.
The next edition of these statistics will be published in May 2026.
2. Main stories
The total unfulfilled eligibility rate in FYE 2025 was measured as 1.3% (£3.7bn), compared with 1.2% (£3.1bn) in FYE 2024.
3. What you need to know
About this publication
This publication contains estimates of the levels of unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system. The main measure is the percentage of benefit expenditure that could have been paid to people with unfulfilled eligibility, if they had provided the correct information, referred to as the unfulfilled eligibility rate. This is also expressed as a monetary value in pounds.
DWP measures unfulfilled eligibility to understand the levels, trends, and reasons behind it. This understanding supports decision making on what actions DWP can take to reduce the level of unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system.
These estimates relate to the levels of unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system in Great Britain. They are underpinned by reviews of benefit claimants in England, Wales, and Scotland. The benefit expenditure figures used in this publication also include overseas residents who are receiving United Kingdom benefits, except for Financial Assistance Scheme payments which also cover Northern Ireland. All other benefit expenditure on residents of Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. The benefit expenditure figures do not include amounts devolved to the Scottish Government (which totalled £5.2 billion in FYE 2025).
Published tables and data
The figures in this publication are a selection from the reference tables. The tables contain detailed breakdowns of the estimates presented in this publication.
How unfulfilled eligibility is measured
A sample of benefit claims is randomly selected from DWP’s administrative systems (12,900 were sampled for FYE 2025, or 0.05% of all benefit claims). DWP’s Performance Measurement team look at the data held on the administrative systems and then contact claimants to arrange a review.
As part of the review, claimants are asked to provide evidence such as tenancy agreements, bank account details and other information that could affect their benefit claim.
The claim is assessed to determine whether the claimant is getting the amount of money they are eligible for based on the circumstances they have reported during the review. If the claimant could be getting extra money the amount is calculated.
Any identified unfulfilled eligibility is classified further into reasons for unfulfilled eligibility, which explain what types of information claimants have not provided and why they could be getting more money. Simplified descriptions of the reasons are given in this publication. A more detailed glossary of the reasons can be found in Appendix 3 of the background information and methodology note.
Unfulfilled eligibility measures – rates and monetary values
The monetary value of unfulfilled eligibility is calculated using the unfulfilled eligibility rate that was found in the sample for benefits measured this year:
Monetary value = (unfulfilled eligibility rate) x (benefit expenditure)
It is possible for the unfulfilled eligibility rate to decrease whilst the monetary value increases and vice versa. This happens because of changes in benefit expenditure between the years compared.
For example: The unfulfilled eligibility rate on Housing Benefit was measured at 1.2% in FYE 2025 compared to 1.1% in FYE 2024. The associated monetary value rounded to the same amount of £180m for FYE 2025 and FYE 2024. Unfulfilled eligibility was recorded at different rates despite the same monetary value for each year. This is because of the higher expenditure on HB in FYE 2024.
The monetary values are not adjusted for inflation.
It is recommended that the rates are used when comparing over time for these reasons, rather than the monetary amounts.
Unfulfilled eligibility measures – proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility
The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility is also reported in this publication.
Proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility = (number of claims in the sample with unfulfilled eligibility) / (number of claims in the sample)
De Minimis reporting
For the proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility, we use a de minimis approach across all benefits. This means that all errors of 10p or less per week are reported separately to the headline measures of the proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility.
Methodology changes and revisions
There has been a revision to incorrectness figures from the FYE 2024 publication. Cannot Review cases which were “Inconclusive” or “Not Fraud” had all Unfulfilled Eligibility removed rather than just Causal Link Frauds. These unfulfilled eligibilities are now included.
Minor changes have also been made to the methodology used to produce estimates of unfulfilled eligibility this year. Estimates for FYE 2024 have been revised using the updated methodology and are included in this publication to allow for comparison with FYE 2025. These changes only have a very small monetary impact at an unfulfilled eligibility reason level for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit.
For more information on these revisions, methodology changes and their impact, please see section 2 of the background information and methodology note.
Statistical significance and confidence intervals
These estimates are based on a sample of benefit claims receiving a monetary payment. Choosing another sample may have given different estimates. The figures quoted in this publication are the central estimates, which are calculated from the sample. A range around the central estimates, called a confidence interval, is also calculated. This expresses the uncertainty associated with the central estimate. A simplified view is that the confidence interval provides a range of plausible values within which the true value for the population lies. See section 4 of the background information and methodology note for further detail.
Changes between years are noted as being statistically significant when the difference observed is likely to reflect a true change at the population level, rather than random variation between the samples. Any statistically significant changes between the years being compared are specified in this publication.
4. Total estimates of unfulfilled eligibility across all benefit expenditure
Total benefit expenditure increased to £292.2bn in FYE 2025 from £266.2bn in FYE 2024. The following estimates are for unfulfilled eligibility across all benefit expenditure.
The total unfulfilled eligibility rate in FYE 2025 was 1.3% (£3.7bn), compared with 1.2% (£3.1bn) in FYE 2024.
In FYE 2025, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and Universal Credit (UC) account for 80% of the total value of unfulfilled eligibility.
FYE 2025 unfulfilled eligibility values, rates, and benefit expenditure by benefit, for PIP, DLA, UC and total:
| Benefit | Unfulfilled eligibility value FYE 2025 (£m) | Unfulfilled eligibility rate FYE 2025 (%) | Expenditure FYE 2025 (£bn) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 3,700 | 1.3 | 292.2 |
| Personal Independence Payment | 1,060 | 4.1 | 25.8 |
| Universal Credit | 980 | 1.5 | 65.3 |
| Disability Living Allowance | 850 | 11.1 | 7.6 |
PIP has the second highest unfulfilled eligibility rate of all benefits and relatively high expenditure, resulting in 30% of total unfulfilled eligibility in FYE 2025.
UC has a lower unfulfilled eligibility rate than DLA and PIP, but its high expenditure means that it also accounts for a similar amount of total unfulfilled eligibility in FYE 2025.
Due to DLA not being measured in FYE 2025, the UE monetary value has been calculated from the previous rate of 11.1% measured in FYE 2024 and applied to the expenditure for FYE 2025. This resulted in a UE monetary value for DLA of £850m. DLA has the highest unfulfilled eligibility rate but relatively low expenditure, so even though its rate is higher than PIP and UC, it accounts for a similar amount of total unfulfilled eligibility in FYE 2025.
Other benefits account for much smaller amounts of total unfulfilled eligibility compared to PIP, DLA, and UC in FYE 2025.
5. Universal Credit unfulfilled eligibility
Universal Credit (UC) is a payment to help with living costs for people who are in work on a low income, or for those who are out of work. Eligibility for UC depends on individual circumstances and the claimant residing in Great Britain.
The expenditure on UC increased from £51.9bn in FYE 2024 to £65.3bn in FYE 2025.
For Universal Credit, the unfulfilled eligibility rate was measured at 1.5% (£980m) in FYE 2025, compared to 1.4% (£730m) in FYE 2024.
The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility remained at 9 in 100 claims between FYE 2024 and FYE 2025.
The award of UC can include several extra elements besides the standard allowance. Unfulfilled eligibility relating to Element increased from 0.1% in FYE 2024 to 0.3% in FYE 2025. This was statistically significant. This category saw a statistically significant fall the previous year. Due to the high monetary value of elements, this category is likely to fluctuate as a small number of cases with unfulfilled eligibility can have a large impact. The increase in FYE 2025 was due to an increase in the proportion of claims that could have been paid the carer element of UC, if claimants had told the department about caring responsibilities.
The largest source of total UC unfulfilled eligibility is due to claimants failing to report increases in their rent amount or those who were eligible for housing costs not receiving them (Housing Costs). This was measured at 0.5% in FYE 2025, compared to 0.4% from FYE 2024. This change was not statistically significant.
6. State Pension unfulfilled eligibility
State Pension (SP) is paid to people who have reached the minimum age to claim (66 years old in FYE 2025) and have enough qualifying years on their National Insurance record.
The expenditure on SP increased from £123.9bn in FYE 2024 to £142.0bn in FYE 2025. SP is the benefit with the highest expenditure and accounts for almost half of total benefit expenditure.
For State Pension, the unfulfilled eligibility rate has remained at 0.0% in both FYE 2025 (£30m) and FYE 2024 (£20m).
The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility remained rounded to 0 in 100 claims in FYE 2025, the same as in FYE 2024.
All unfulfilled eligibility was within the reason of Other. This category is made up of unfulfilled eligibility due to claimants who failed to report their divorce.
7. Personal Independence Payment unfulfilled eligibility
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) helps with extra costs caused by long-term disability or ill-health. From April 2013, PIP started to replace Disability Living Allowance for people of working age.
The expenditure for PIP increased from £21.6bn in FYE 2024 to £25.8bn in FYE 2025.
For Personal Independence Payment, the unfulfilled eligibility rate in FYE 2025 was 4.1% (£1,060m), compared with 4.0% (£870m) in FYE 2024.
The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility remained at the same in FYE 2025 as in FYE 2024 at 11 in 100 claims.
All unfulfilled eligibility was due to claimants failing to inform the department they needed more help, or their condition had deteriorated (Functional Needs).
8. Housing Benefit unfulfilled eligibility
Housing Benefit (HB) can help pay rent for people who are unemployed, on a low income, or claiming benefits. How much they get depends on their income and circumstances. For working age people, HB is being replaced by Universal Credit (UC), so this group will gradually move onto UC. Working age people cannot make new claims for HB unless they are in supported, sheltered, or temporary housing. Pension age people can continue to make new claims for HB.
The expenditure for HB decreased from £15.5bn in FYE 2024 to £15.4bn in FYE 2025.
For HB, estimates are published for all of HB and also separately for working age and pension age claimants (see reference tables). These two groups are made up of “passported” claims (who get HB because they receive another qualifying income-related benefit) and “non-passported” claims (who get HB without one of these qualifying benefits). This means that HB is made up of four groups: passported working age, non-passported working age, passported pension age, and non-passported pension age. The four groups are combined for the total HB estimates.
Only passported working age claims were reviewed in FYE 2025. The estimates for the other groups relate to reviews undertaken in previous years; the unfulfilled eligibility rates found when each group was last measured have been applied to the FYE 2025 expenditure.
For Housing Benefit, the unfulfilled eligibility rate in FYE 2025 was 1.2% (£180m), compared with 1.1% (£180m) in FYE 2024.
Since only working age claims were reviewed in FYE 2025, working age claimants were behind the changes in total HB. For working age HB, the unfulfilled eligibility rate remained at 1.1% between FYE 2025 (£90m) and FYE 2024 (£100m).
The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility remained at 9 in 100 claims between FYE 2025 and FYE 2024.
Most of this unfulfilled eligibility was due to claimants failing to report increases in their rent amount (Housing Costs). This was the largest source of total HB unfulfilled eligibility in FYE 2025, remaining at 0.4% from FYE 2024.
The next largest source of total HB unfulfilled eligibility was due to claimants failing to inform the department about reductions in their (Earnings/Employment), remaining at 0.3% between FYE 2025 and FYE 2024.
9. Pension Credit unfulfilled eligibility
Pension Credit (PC) provides support to people who have reached State Pension (SP) age and reside in Great Britain. Guarantee Credit tops up any other income to a ‘standard minimum guarantee’ amount and additional amounts may be payable in certain circumstances, for example, for severe disability, for certain housing costs or for caring. Savings Credit is an extra payment for those who have made some additional provision for their retirement through, for example, an occupational pension or savings. Those reaching SP age from 6 April 2016 are not eligible for Savings Credit.
The expenditure on PC increased from £5.4bn in FYE 2024 to £5.9bn in FYE 2025.
For Pension Credit, the unfulfilled eligibility rate in FYE 2025 was 1.7% (£100m), compared with 1.5% (£80m) in FYE 2024.
The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility was 10 in 100 claims in FYE 2025, compared with 8 in 100 claims in FYE 2024.
Claimants failing to inform the department about reductions in their financial assets (Capital) and non-dependant household members no longer living with them (Household Composition), remained the two main sources of unfulfilled eligibility and accounted for over £5 in every £10 of unfulfilled eligibility on PC in FYE 2025.
The rate of unfulfilled eligibility due to claimants not informing the department about reductions in their private pensions (Income – Occupational and Personal Pensions) saw a statistically significant increase to 0.3% in FYE 2025 from 0.1% in FYE 2024.
Unfulfilled Eligibility mainly related to the under declaration of Foreign State Pension (Income – Other) saw a statistically significant decrease to 0.0% in FYE 2025 from 0.1% in FYE 2024.
10. Carer’s Allowance
Carer’s Allowance (CA) provides support to carers aged over 16 who care for someone at least 35 hours a week. The disabled person they are caring for must already be in receipt of a qualifying benefit (such as Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance) and the carer must meet other eligibility criteria – for example, earning below a certain threshold.
CA has not been measured for fraud and error since FYE 2020.
The expenditure on CA has increased from £2.9bn in FYE 2020 to £4.2bn in FYE 2025.
Although CA was reviewed in FYE 2025, no UE was identified. This is to be expected as CA is a single rate benefit and UE can only occur when it overlaps with a different benefit and that benefit has reduced.
11. About these statistics
All the information underlying the tables and figures featured in this publication is included in the accompanying reference tables.
The tables show the rates and monetary values of unfulfilled eligibility for each benefit. More detail about the reason for unfulfilled eligibility (for example: income, savings and who lives in the household) is provided for benefits measured this year. The proportion of claims with unfulfilled eligibility is also estimated.
The background information and methodology note provides further information on how the ‘Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system’ statistics are calculated and gives a glossary of the reasons for unfulfilled eligibility used in this publication and the reference tables.
The publication strategy provides further information on upcoming plans for future releases of these statistics.
Official Statistics in Development status
Official Statistics in Development are Official Statistics that are undergoing a development; they may be new or existing statistics, and will be tested with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. DWP will seek user feedback alongside the publications to inform the ongoing development of the statistics to enhance their public value.
These statistics are designated as Official Statistics in Development because this was published for the first time in FYE 2024. We welcome user comments on this publication which should be sent to: enquiries.fema@dwp.gov.uk
Other National and Official Statistics
Read about other National and Official Statistics produced by DWP.
12. Contact information
Lead Statistician: Matt Lebessis
Feedback or enquiries about these statistics should be directed by email to:
DWP Press Office: 0115 965 8781
Appendix 1: FYE 2025 unfulfilled eligibility rates and monetary values by benefit
| Expenditure (£m) | Unfulfilled eligibility rate (%) | Unfulfilled eligibility value (£m) | Last measured | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Credit | 65,300 | 1.5 | 980 | Nov 2023 to Oct 2024 |
| State Pension | 142,000 | 0.0 | 30 | Nov 2023 to Oct 2024 |
| Personal Independence Payment | 25,800 | 4.1 | 1,060 | Sep 2023 to Aug 2024 |
| Housing Benefit | 15,400 | 1.2 | 180 | Nov 2023 to Oct 2024 |
| Employment and Support Allowance | 12,300 | 1.4 | 170 | Sep 2021 to Aug 2022 |
| Attendance Allowance | 7,700 | 4.2 | 320 | Oct 2020 to Aug 2021 |
| Disability Living Allowance | 7,600 | 11.1 | 850 | Mar 2023 to Oct 2023 |
| Pension Credit | 5,900 | 1.7 | 100 | Nov 2023 to Sep 2024 |
| Carer’s Allowance | 4,200 | w | w | May 2024 to Sep 2024 |
| Jobseeker’s Allowance | 300 | 0.3 | 0 | Oct 2017 to Sep 2018 |
| Income Support | 300 | 0.4 | 0 | Oct 2013 to Sep 2014 |
| Incapacity Benefit | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | Oct 2009 to Sep 2010 |
| Never Reviewed | 5,400 | 0.6 | 30 | |
| Total | 292,200 | 1.3 | 3,700 | |
| Range | (1.2 to 1.4) | (3,400 to 4,100) |
Notes:
- Rows and columns may not sum to totals due to rounding.
- Approximate 95% confidence interval ranges are given for the totals in the row below them. These also allow for non-sample error in occasionally reviewed benefits and the additional uncertainty that comes from the use of older measurement periods.
- Monetary values associated with Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Incapacity Benefit are displayed as zeros due to rounding.
- Some cells have no data, when this is the case shorthand is used to briefly describe the reason for the missing data, w = no data found in the sample.
- The ‘Never Reviewed’ category includes benefits which were not previously reviewed and have not been historically reviewed in a particular year. See the background information and methodology note.
ISBN: 978-1-78659-815-8