Official Statistics

Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 14 July 2022

Published 16 August 2022

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

The latest release of these statistics can be found in the collection of Universal Credit statistics.

This bulletin contains highlights from official statistics on claims, starts, people and households (including payments) on Universal Credit for England, Scotland, and Wales (Great Britain). It also provides context to emerging stories in the data.

Notices

Users are advised of the following changes from this release:

• the measure for children in Universal Credit households, originally announced in May 2021, is now complete; the final statistic in this measure covers the ages of all children in Universal Credit households and is available on Stat-Xplore

• in response to user consultation, the order that series are discussed in this bulletin has changed so the most used statistics appear first; the new order can be seen in the Contents list

More information on the statistics in the children in Universal Credit households measure is available in the background information and methodology document.

1. Main stories

• 5.7 million people on Universal Credit in July 2022, 170,000 fewer than in July 2021

• highest proportion (30%) of people on Universal Credit were in the ‘no work requirements conditionality regime in July 2022

• on average, 45,000 claims per week in July 2022, compared to 42,000 in July 2021

• on average, 36,000 starts per week in July 2022, compared to 33,000 in July 2021

• in May 2022, 0.3 million fewer households on Universal Credit compared to May 2021

• for the first time, half of in payment households on Universal Credit have children (May 2022)

• average (mean) payment amount was £810 (May 2022) up from £800 (May 2021)

2. What you need to know

Universal Credit official statistics cover 4 series:

• Claims: the number of people who have made a new claim for Universal Credit. Not all new claims go on to “start” on Universal Credit

• Starts: the number of people who verify their identity and accept their claimant commitment in the period of the statistics

• People: the number of people claiming Universal Credit who have verified their identity and have accepted their claimant commitment on the second Thursday of the month

• Households: the number of households who have a calculated entitlement for Universal Credit for the monthly assessment period active on the count date (second Thursday of the month). The commentary for households in this bulletin focuses mostly on households who are “in payment” which is defined as households with a monthly award or advance payment of more than £0

Further guidance on these statistics is provided in the About these statistics section of this bulletin and the background information and methodology document. Information on the timeliness of the statistics is provided in the background quality report.

Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had an impact on these statistics. Operational and policy changes in response to the coronavirus pandemic have affected the time series for Universal Credit statistics. Therefore, we do not recommend making comparisons with trends before the coronavirus pandemic to during it.

The background information and methodology document explains the changes made and how they affect these statistics.

Experimental statistics

Universal Credit statistics are official statistics that are experimental. This is due to the ongoing development of the data systems that are used to support Universal Credit.

3. People on Universal Credit

An individual is counted in this series if they have an open claim on a specific day each month (count date), have accepted a claimant commitment, and have verified their identity. Not every person on Universal Credit will go on to have a calculated entitlement for their assessment period or receive a payment.

In July 2022, 170,000 fewer people on Universal Credit compared to July 2021

People on Universal Credit, Great Britain, July 2017 to July 2022

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, month

There were 5.7 million people on Universal Credit on 14 July 2022. This is 2.9% (170,000) fewer compared to July 2021, when there were 5.8 million people on Universal Credit. The number of people on Universal Credit on a count date peaked at 6.0 million on 11 March 2021.

The figure for July 2022 is provisional. For the previous 12 months, the average percentage change between provisional and revised figures was a decrease of 1.2 %.

To support households through the coronavirus pandemic, policy and operational changes were made to Universal Credit. Details of how these changes could have affected these statistics are in the background information and methodology document.

Women made up 56% of people on Universal Credit in July 2022

People on Universal Credit by gender, Great Britain, July 2017 to July 2022

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, gender by month

Women made up 56% of people on Universal Credit on 14 July 2022, compared to 53% on 8 July 2021.

From the introduction of Universal Credit until May 2018, men on Universal Credit outnumbered women. Since June 2018, women have outnumbered men. At first, Universal Credit was only available to working age individuals with no children who were seeking employment. This group would have claimed income related Jobseeker’s Allowance, which has been typically claimed by men more than women (source: Stat-Xplore, Jobseekers Allowance).

The expansion of Universal Credit to replace the other legacy benefits that tended to be claimed by women, such as Income Support and Child Tax Credit, has led to more women than men on Universal Credit.

Age distribution shifts towards middle and older age groups year-on-year

People on Universal Credit by age group, Great Britain, July 2021 compared to July 2022

Note: (p) provisional.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, age by month

The age distribution of people on Universal Credit continues to change. In July 2022, a higher proportion of older people were on Universal Credit compared to the same period in 2021, particularly those aged 35-44. The proportion of people in the 35 to 39 age group has increased by one percentage point from 13.5% in July 2021 to 14.5% in July 2022. The 40 to 44 age group also increased by one percentage point over the same period from 10.9% to 11.9%. To compare, the 20 to 24 age group showed the largest decrease year-on-year. In July 2021, the 20 to 24 age group made up 12.4% of people on Universal Credit and in July 2022 this had decreased to 10.4%.

Employment rate for people on Universal Credit was 41% in June 2022

Universal Credit is available to people on a low income as well as those who are out of work.

These statistics measure employment as receiving employee earnings during the assessment period which is active on the count date. As earnings for each period can be received up to one month after the count date, this data is not available for processing at the same time as the rest of the data for people on Universal Credit. This means that statistics on employment for people on Universal Credit are published a month later than other measures.

People on Universal Credit in employment, Great Britain, June 2017 to June 2022

Note: (r) revised since last release.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, employment indicator by month

There were 2.3 million people on Universal Credit in employment for assessment periods covering 9 June 2022. This is broadly unchanged compared to assessment periods covering 10 June 2021. Due to the total number of people on Universal Credit decreasing over this period, the employment rate for people on Universal Credit has increased from 40% to 41% year-on-year.

An increase in the employment rate, and that it is higher than the rate before the coronavirus pandemic, should not be interpreted as more employment. It should be considered in the context of the policy changes to Universal Credit to support people through the coronavirus pandemic.

More people on Universal Credit in ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime than in ‘searching for work’ in July 2022

Claimants are required to do certain work-related activities to receive Universal Credit. These activities are set by which of the 6 conditionality regimes the claimant is placed in. The conditionality regime also determines the level of contact with the claimant, and the support that they will receive.

These statistics use ‘conditionality regime’ instead of the terms ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’ to help users more easily understand the different categories. More detail can be found in the definitions section of this bulletin.

People on Universal Credit in each conditionality regime, Great Britain, July 2017 to July 2022

Note: (p) provisional

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, conditionality regime by month

As people move across from legacy benefits, the composition of people on Universal Credit continues to change. At first, Universal Credit was only available to working age individuals with no children who were seeking employment. Over time, Universal Credit was made available to people in different circumstances. In April 2022, there were more people in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime (1.6 million) than in the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime (1.5 million) for the first time since reporting began.

Since July 2021, the number of claimants in the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime fell from 2.0 million (35% of people on Universal Credit) to 1.4 million (25% of people on Universal Credit) in July 2022. Over the same period, the number of people on Universal Credit in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime has risen from 1.3 million (22% of people on Universal Credit) in July 2021 to 1.7 million (30% of people on Universal Credit) in July 2022.

Percentage of people in employment by conditionality regime, Great Britain, June 2022

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, People on Universal Credit, employment indicator by conditionality regime

A claimant’s conditionality regime is measured on the count date and may not represent their situation for the entire assessment period. Employment status is measured using employment earnings received during the assessment period that is active on the count date.

Care should be taken when comparing employment rate and conditionality regime as they measure different aspects of someone’s work-related circumstances. F or assessment periods covering 9 June 2022, 13% of claimants in ‘searching for work’ had earnings and were recorded as in employment as people with low earnings can be placed in this conditionality regime. To compare, 12% of people placed in the ‘working - no requirements’ conditionality regime were not in employment, usually due to earnings from the other adult in the home.

The proportion of people in employment in each conditionality regime have been consistent despite the distribution of people in each conditionality group changing over time. More guidance can be found in the background information and methodology document.

4. Claims made to Universal Credit

Making a claim is the first step an individual will need to do to receive Universal Credit. Not everyone who makes a claim will then start on Universal Credit, for example, if their circumstances change and they close their claim before completing the process.

Average of 45,000 claims made per week in July 2022

Claims made to Universal Credit, Great Britain, July 2017 to July 2022

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Claims on Universal Credit, weekly

The number of weekly claims has mostly stabilised, returning to just below pre-pandemic levels. There are seasonal highs and lows in the number of claims. For example, 21,000 claims were made between 24 December 2021 and 30 December 2021.

In the most recent month (10 June to 14 July 2022), there were an average of 45,000 claims each week. This compares to a weekly average of 42,000 claims for the same time period in the previous year (11 June to 8 July 2021).

5. Starts to Universal Credit

In these statistics, a claimant is counted as starting on Universal Credit when they have agreed their commitment requirements and had their identity verified (among other criteria). For the full definition refer to the background and methodology document.

Average of 36,000 starts per week in July 2022

Starts on Universal Credit (monthly), Great Britain, July 2017 to July 2022

See Stat-Xplore for the full data series

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Starts on Universal Credit, month

In the most recent month (10 June to 14 July 2022), there was a weekly average of 36,000 starts on Universal Credit. This compares to a weekly average of 33,000 starts for the same period last year (11 June to 8 July 2021).

6. Households on Universal Credit

In these statistics, a household is a single person or couple living together with or without children. To be counted in this series, a household needs to have had their entitlement calculated for the assessment period covering the count date. This series is produced 3 months in arrears. More information is available in the background information and methodology document.

There are 0.3 million fewer households on Universal Credit compared to May 2021

Total households on Universal Credit by in payment and not in payment, Great Britain, May 2017 to May 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit

There were 4.7 million households on Universal Credit for assessment periods covering 12 May 2022. This compares to 5.0 million households on Universal Credit for assessment periods covering 13 May 2021, which is a decrease of 0.3 million year-on-year.

Highest proportion of households in payment (89%) since April 2020

Households on Universal Credit in payment, Great Britain, May 2017 to May 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes)

Households on Universal Credit are categorised as either in payment or not in payment. There were 4.2 million households in payment for assessment periods covering 12 May 2022 (89% of all households on Universal Credit for this period). This is the highest proportion of in payment households on Universal Credit since April 2020. For assessment periods covering 13 May 2021, 84% of households were in payment.

Half of in payment households on Universal Credit had children in May 2022

In payment households by family type, Great Britain, May 2017 to May 2022

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised since last release. There was a methodology change affecting data from April 2019 onwards for this time series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes), family type

Households with children accounted for half (50%) of households on Universal Credit in payment in May 2022, compared to 44% in May 2021.

There is a long-term upward trend in the proportion of in payment households on Universal Credit that have children. Universal Credit was introduced as a replacement for new benefit claims. At first, Universal Credit was only available to working age individuals with no children who were seeking employment. Over time, Universal Credit was made available to people in different circumstances. Also, existing claimants of legacy benefits, such as Child Tax Credit, are being transferred onto Universal Credit, either due to a change in circumstances or as part of managed migration.

Average payment amount increased to £810 in May 2022

The amount of Universal Credit that a household is entitled to is based on the standard allowance and additional elements such as housing or childcare, plus any additional amounts such as an advance or mortgage interest payment.

The amount paid to a household may be lower than their entitlement, for example, if a household is being sanctioned, limited by the benefit cap, or earning above the threshold so the taper rate is applied.

Average (mean) Universal Credit payment for in payment households, Great Britain, May 2017 to May 2022

Note: (p) provisional (r) revised since last release.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes), measures (payment amount mean)

The average (mean) award paid to households on Universal Credit who were in payment was £810 in May 2022. This is higher than the average (mean) payment amount in May 2021 which was £800. The average payment amount was steadily increasing in the months up to October 2021 when the temporary increase to the standard allowance ended. The average payment amount decreased at this time but has been gradually increasing since.

It is important to note that the average (mean) payment is affected by large payments. In May 2022, 9.5% of households that received a payment were paid more than £1,500. The median average payment amount is lower than the mean as it is less affected by large payments. In May 2022, the median (midpoint) payment of £730 was lower than the mean payment of £810.

In almost all cases the high payment amounts are due to households receiving additional payments as well as their standard entitlements, for example an advance payment to help cover unexpected costs.

There was a spike in the average payment for assessment periods covering 9 April 2020, with the average payment of £840. Management information shows that there was an increase in the number of advances being paid in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.

Households with children tend to receive higher payments

In payment households by payment band and family type, Great Britain, May 2022

Note: figures are provisional.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, payment indicator (yes), measures (payment amount mean), Monthly award amount (bands)

In May 2022, 480,000 households on Universal Credit received between £600 and £700. This means 11% of households on Universal Credit that received a payment for this period received between £600 and £700. This is more than any other payment band.

Households with children tend to receive higher payments compared to households without children. In May 2022, most payments above £800 went to households with children (74%). This increases to 94% of payments above £1,500 going to households with children. Compared to other payment bands, the £200 to £300 band had the highest proportion of payments (84%) to households with no children.

Higher proportion of households have ‘limited capability for work’ entitlement year-on-year

Entitlements for in payment households, Great Britain, May 2017 to May 2022

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised since last release.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Entitlements, payment indicator (yes)

Households on Universal Credit can be entitled to a range of additional elements on top of the standard allowance to support costs for children, childcare, housing, health and disabilities, and carers. Households can be entitled to more than one of these additional elements.

Housing entitlement was included in a higher percentage of awards for in payment households on Universal Credit in May 2022 (68%) compared to May 2021 (63%).

Child entitlement was included in 49% of payments made in May 2022. This is higher than the 43% of payments in May 2021 and reflects the increasing proportion of households on Universal Credit with children.

The proportion of households with limited capability for work entitlement has increased by five percentage points year-on-year from 16% in May 2021 to 21% in May 2022.

In May 2022, more households on Universal Credit had at least one child aged between 5 and 10 (1.1 million) than any other age group

The ages of all children in households on Universal Credit measures how many households have at least one child in each of four age bands: 0 to 4, 5 to 10, 11 to 15, and 16 to 19. If a household has children in more than one age band, the household will be counted for each band. For example, a household with 3 children aged 2, 4, and 8 would be counted once for the 0 to 4 age band and once for the 5 to 10 age band.

A further breakdown showing the number of households on Universal Credit with children with 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more children in each age band is available on Stat-Xplore.

Ages of children in households on Universal Credit, Great Britain, May 2021 compared to May 2022

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised since last release.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Age of all children

There were 960,000 households on Universal Credit with at least one child aged 0 to 4 in May 2022. For the same period, more households on Universal Credit had at least one child aged 5 to 10 (1.1 million) than any other age group. The number of households with at least one child aged 11 to 15 in May 2022 was 780,000. Of all households on Universal Credit with children in May 2022, the fewest number had at least one child aged 16 to 19, with 470,000 households in this group.

Nearly all households received some or all their payment on time in April 2022

Statistics on payment timeliness are produced 4 months in arrears to avoid large revisions to provisional figures caused by retrospection. This is to allow for more accurate and higher quality statistics.

Payment timeliness (all claims), Universal Credit, Great Britain, April 2017 to April 2022

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised since last release. To allow sufficient time for information to be gathered on all payments, figures are not included for the latest month in the series. Figures prior to April 2019 are Universal Credit full service only.

Source: statistics from April 2019 (Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Payment Timeliness), statistics from January 2017 to March 2019 (table 1.1 in the ODS table accompanying the November 2021 release).

Nearly all households in payment (99%) were paid all or some of their payment on time in April 2022. This figure has been largely consistent since April 2020.

Of households in payment, 97% received all their payment on time in April 2022. These figures are subject to revision and any conclusions or comparisons, particularly using the most recent month, should be made with caution.

In April 2022, 87% of new claims received their first payment in full and on time

Payment timeliness (new claims), Universal Credit, Great Britain, April 2017 to April 2022

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised since last release. To allow sufficient time for information to be gathered on all payments, figures are not included for the latest month in the series. Figures prior to April 2019 are Universal Credit full service only.

Source: statistics from April 2019 (Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Payment Timeliness), statistics from January 2017 to March 2019 (table 1.1 in the ODS table accompanying the November 2021 release).

Payment timeliness is lower for new claims in comparison to all claims. There are several one-off verification processes that must be completed by the claimant and by DWP at the start of the claim. These are to confirm the current circumstances of the claimant (or both claimants in a joint claim) and their entitlement to Universal Credit. Delays to completion of these processes can cause payments not to be made on time.

For new claims in April 2022 (claims in their first assessment period on the count date), around 92% received some or all their payment on time, compared to 93% in April 2021.

The proportion of new claims receiving their first payment in full and on time in April 2022 was 87%. This is slightly higher than in April 2021 when 86% of new claims received their first payment in full and on time.

These figures are subject to revision and any conclusions or comparisons, particularly using the most recent month, should be made with caution.

7. Definitions

Claim made

A claim made is when an individual submits an application for Universal Credit.

Start

A person has started on Universal Credit when their identity has been verified and they have agreed their claimant commitment.

People

A person is counted on Universal Credit when they have met the definition to start, they have a National Insurance number recorded and there is no record of a closure of the claim.

Household and in payment

A household is a single person or co-habiting couple with or without dependent children. This is sometimes called a benefit unit in other statistics. A household is counted when their assessment period overlaps the count date. An in payment household is one that has received a Universal Credit payment of £0.01 or more after deductions, sanctions and the benefit cap during that assessment period.

Conditionality Regimes

All people on Universal Credit are placed into one of six conditionality groups, depending on their personal circumstances. Which of these groups they are placed into will determine what activities they are required to do (if any) as part of their claim and the level of contact and support they receive. Universal Credit statistics uses the term conditionality regime in place of ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’.

Different members of the same household may be subject to the same or different requirements. As circumstances change claimants will also transition between different levels of conditionality. This means that there is a ‘flow’ of claimants between these groups.

The table below shows the circumstances of individuals for each conditionality regime and the associated group and labour market regime.

Conditionality regime	Description	Conditionality Group	Labour Market Regime
Searching for work	Not working, or with very low earnings. Claimant is required to take action to secure work - or more or better paid work. The Work Coach supports them to plan their work search and preparation activity. Typical examples of people in this regime include jobseekers and self-employed in start-up period. Claimants are only in this regime if they do not fit into one of the other regimes.	All work-related requirements	Intensive Work Search
Working – with requirements	In work, but could earn more, or not working but has a partner with low earnings.	All work-related requirements	Light touch
No work requirements	Not expected to work at present. Health or caring responsibility prevents claimant from working or preparing for work. Examples of people on this regime include those in full time education, over state pension age, has a child under 1 and those with no prospect for work.	No work-related requirements	No work-related requirements
Working – no requirements	Individual or household earnings over the level at which conditionality applies. Required to inform DWP of changes or circumstances, particularly at risk of earnings decreasing or job loss.	No work-related requirements	Working enough
Planning for work	Expected to work in the future/ Lead parent or lead carer of child aged 1 (aged 1 to 2, prior to April 2017). Claimant required to attend periodic interviews to plan for their return to work.	Work focused interview	Work focused interview
Preparing for work	Expected to start work in the future even with limited capability to work at the present time or a child aged 2 (aged 3 to 4, prior to April 2017). Claimant expected to take reasonable steps to prepare for working including Work Focused Interview.	Work preparation	Work preparation

Universal Credit live service

The original service offering Universal Credit. Initially restricted to mostly single working age people with no children, seeking work. It was available throughout Great Britain by May 2016. It closed to new claims from 1 January 2018 and all remaining claimants were moved to full service by March 2019.

Universal Credit full service

Full service is the digital system that offers Universal Credit to the full range of claimant groups. New claims are made on gov.uk and most accounts are managed only through an online account. It was gradually introduced to Jobcentres from 2016 and was available in every Jobcentre across Great Britain and Northern Ireland by December 2018. When full service became available in a Jobcentre, existing Universal Credit claimants on live service were transferred to full service within 3 months.

A glossary for further terms used in Universal Credit statistics is included in the background and methodology document.

8. Related statistics

This publication complements other statistics bulletins that, together, provide a more coherent view of Universal Credit claimants and awards, and other benefits.

Benefit sanctions includes statistics on people having their award stopped or reduced for not meeting their agreed conditions.

Benefit Cap includes statistics on households who have had their Universal Credit award capped because their total amount received in benefits is higher than the maximum amount of benefits a household can receive.

DWP benefits provides statistics for benefits that Universal Credit is replacing.

Statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children for Universal Credit and Child Tax Credits

Fraud and error in the benefit system provides estimates of the number of households that may have been paid too much Universal Credit or not enough. These overpayments and underpayments happen as a consequence of fraud; claimant error; and official error (processing errors or delays by DWP, a Local Authority, or Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs). ‘Fraud and error in the benefit system’ estimates how much money the department incorrectly pays.

Universal Credit statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland).

Claimant Count is a measure of the number of people claiming benefits principally for the reason of being unemployed, based on administrative data from the benefits system. It includes people on Universal Credit in the searching for work conditionality regime for the UK. Universal Credit statistics uses the same data excluding Northern Ireland.

Alternative Claimant Count statistics measure the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits by modelling what the count would have been if Universal Credit had been fully available from when Universal Credit was introduced in 2013 with the broader span of people this covers. Under Universal Credit, a broader span of claimants are required to look for work than under Jobseeker’s Allowance. This is a feature of the design of Universal Credit and has the effect of increasing the Claimant Count irrespective of how the economy performs. For this reason, the Office for National Statistics have stated that the Claimant Count figures are no longer a reliable indicator of the labour market. The Alternative Claimant Count attempts to address this.

European Social Fund (ESF) 2014 to 2020 programme is an EU-funded employment, skills and social inclusion programme across England aimed at providing the help people need to achieve their potential. This publication uses Universal Credit data to show how many people who started on the programme were on Universal Credit.

9. About these statistics

What is Universal Credit?

Universal Credit is a single payment for each household to help with living costs for those on a low income or out of work. It is replacing 6 benefits, commonly referred to as the legacy benefits.

Support for housing costs, children and childcare costs are integrated into Universal Credit. It also provides additional support for people with a disability, health condition, or caring responsibilities which may prevent them from working.

Payments are contingent on certain work-related activities being carried out depending on the outcome of the claimant assessment. Payment amounts can be reduced for a variety of reasons, such as sanctions, debt repayment, removal of spare room subsidy, or the taper for earnings above the work allowance.

Where to find out more

Information on these statistics is available in the following documents:

• background information and methodology

• background quality report

• Quality Assurance of Administrative Data report

• release strategy

Detailed guidance on the policy and operational aspects of Universal Credit:

• Understanding Universal Credit

• Universal Credit guides

Data sources and limitations

These official statistics have been compiled using data in systems used by the department in the administration of Universal Credit and records of Universal Credit benefit payments made by the department.

While every effort is made to collect data to the highest quality, as with all administrative data it is dependent on the accuracy of information entered into the system. Checks are made throughout the process from collection of the data to producing the statistics, but some data entry or processing errors may filter through to the data used to produce the statistics. The quality assurance of administrative data report provides quality assessments on the data sources used in these statistics.

The proportion of Universal Credit claimants declaring their ethnicity is 60% for June 2022. This is below the minimum requirement of 70%, so no information on ethnicity is currently included in this report.

As Universal Credit continues to develop, caution should be used when interpreting statistics over long time periods. Administrative system changes could cause discontinuities in the time series that were not the result of a policy decision or the economic environment.

There are inherent differences in the data for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit, thus it is not possible to cross-tabulate between the two measures. More information is provided in the relationship between people and households on Universal Credit section of these differences between the 2 datasets.

A full discussion of strengths and limitations is in the background information and methodology

Release schedule

The bulletin is published quarterly (in February, May, August, and November), supplemented by monthly data updates for people on Universal Credit statistics in Stat-Xplore.

Next release of people on Universal Credit: 13 September 2022

Next release for claims, starts and households on Universal Credit: 15 November 2022

All releases for Universal Credit statistics can be found in the Universal Credit statistics collection.

Compliance check against the Code of Practice for Statistics

These statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for statistics.

A compliance check was conducted on Universal Credit statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in May 2019. We have acted on the recommendations made by the OSR to improve the presentation and user understanding of these statistics.

Rounding

Volumes and amounts have been rounded as detailed in the background information and methodology document. Percentages are calculated using numbers prior to rounding and rounded to the nearest whole percentage point.

Revisions

Universal Credit statistics are subject to scheduled revisions as detailed in the background information and methodology document.

Notices

Children in Universal Credit households

The measure for children in Universal Credit households is now complete. Along with the number of children and the age of the youngest child in Universal Credit households the measure will now include:

• the ages of all children in Universal Credit households

The ages of all children are available in age bands only. The ages of all children bands have the categories of 0, 1, 2, and 3-or-more children. Please note: A household can be counted as part of more than one child age band. For example, a household with 2 children of ages 3 and 8 would be counted as part of both the 0 to 4 and 5 to 10 child age bands.

Geography data for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit

Geography data used in this publication for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit are based on address information which is held in a central data source. The geography data may not be up to date for some claimants.

During the coronavirus pandemic, jobcentre appointments were suspended for claimants, which meant that evidence to verify a change of address could not be provided. As a result, an update to the central information source used by Universal Credit statistics was deferred, which affects all geography statistics for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit from April 2020.

Work is ongoing to verify changes of address declared during the coronavirus pandemic and update the data source used for claimant addresses.

Geographies in the Claims made to Universal Credit and Starts to Universal Credit data are not affected by this issue as they are obtained from the Universal Credit full service data which records the addresses as declared by the claimant.

10. Contacts

Lead Statistician: Lee McGargill

Authors: Phoebe Hallett and Harry Rose

Feedback on the content, relevance, accessibility and timeliness of these statistics and any non-media enquiries should be directed to:

Email: team.ucos@dwp.gov.uk

For media enquiries on these statistics, please contact the DWP press office

For statistics enquiries only. These contact details are unable to provide any information or assistance with claiming Universal Credit.

ISBN: 978-1-78659-389-4