Official Statistics

Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: financial year ending (FYE) 2026 estimates

Estimates of unfulfilled eligibility levels in the benefit system in Great Britain in the financial year 2026.

• From: Department for Work and Pensions
• Published: 14 May 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2026

Ref: ISBN 978-1-78659-922-3

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Background Information and Methodology Note: Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: financial year ending (FYE) 2026 estimates

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Tables: Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2026

ODS, 35 KB

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Tables: Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2026

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 129 KB

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Request an accessible format.

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Details

This publication estimates how much extra money benefit claimants in Great Britain could be getting if they told us accurately about their circumstances.

The main story from the publication is: 

• the unfulfilled eligibility rate in Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2026 was measured as 1.2% (£3.7 billion) of total benefit expenditure, compared with 1.3% (£3.7 billion) in FYE 2025

Feedback or enquiries about these statistics should be directed by email to: enquiries.fema@dwp.gov.uk

Published 14 May 2026