Official Statistics

Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 14 October 2021

Published 16 November 2021

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-october-2021/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-october-2021

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

This bulletin contains statistics on claims made, starts, people on Universal Credit and households including payments for Universal Credit for England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain).

Notices

Users are advised of the following changes from this release:

  • new statistics on bedroom entitlement for households on Universal Credit are available on Stat-Xplore
  • withdrawal of claims made to Universal Credit by day
  • withdrawal of individual counts for claims made and starts to Universal Credit
  • geography data for people on Universal Credit and households on Universal Credit may be out of date

More information on each of these changes is provided in the about these statistics section.

1. Main Stories

The main stories are:

2. What you need to know

Universal Credit 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 ID and accept their claimant commitment in the period of the statistics
  • People: the number of people claiming Universal Credit who have verified their ID and have accepted their claimant commitment on the 2nd 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 (2nd 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.

Interactive tools

Alternative ways to view these statistics are available:

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. Claims made to Universal Credit

Making a claim is the first step an individual will need to do to receive Universal Credit.

There was an average of 41,000 claims per week made to Universal Credit in the 5 weeks to 14 October 2021.

Fewer new claims made than before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Claims made (weekly), Universal Credit, Great Britain, 13 October 2016 to 14 October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

In the 5 weeks leading up to 14 October 2021 there was a weekly average (mean) of 41,000 claims made to Universal Credit. This is an increase of 6% compared to the average of 38,000 claims per week in the 4 weeks leading up to 9 September 2021. There was a gradual decline in the number of claims made to Universal Credit over the first 4 months of 2021. Since April 2021, the average number of claims made each week has been relatively stable at around 39,000.

There were over 10 times the usual number of claims made to Universal Credit at the beginning of the first national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Over 550,000 claims for Universal Credit were made in each week ending 26 March and 2 April 2020. For the 52 weeks before the lockdown there was an average of 54,000 claims per week.

Not all claims that are made will go on to start on Universal Credit. This can be because, for example, the circumstances of some people who have made a claim may change before they start on Universal Credit, and they may close their claim before starting.

4. Starts to Universal Credit

Following making a claim, a claimant is counted as starting on Universal Credit statistics when they have agreed their commitment requirements and had their identity verified among other criteria. For the full definition of what is regarded as a start on Universal Credit refer to the background and methodology document.

There have been 160,000 people starting on Universal Credit in the 5 weeks to 14 October 2021.

Number of starts per week remain broadly unchanged since July 2021

Starts on Universal Credit (monthly), Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There were 160,000 starts to Universal Credit in the 5 weeks to 14 October 2021. On average (mean), there were 33,000 starts per week in this period. In the 4 weeks to 9 September 2021, there were an average of 30,000 starts per week. Therefore, there was a 9% increase in the average number of starts per week between these two months.

The UK government made a number of changes to Universal Credit to support people through the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. These changes, together with the changes in people’s circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, coincided with a large increase to the number of starts to Universal Credit between 13 March 2020 and 14 May 2020. In total between these dates there were 2.4 million starts to Universal Credit. This contributes 42% of the total 5.7 million claims for Universal Credit having started between 13 March 2020 and 14 October 2021.

More women continue to start on Universal Credit, a return to trend before the coronavirus pandemic

Starts on Universal Credit by gender, Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

Over the quarter (9 July 2021 to 14 October 2021), there have been more women than men starting on Universal Credit each month. Since May 2021, women have made up more than half of the people starting on Universal Credit. In October 2021, women made up 52% of people starting on Universal Credit, broadly unchanged since July 2021.

This trend could also be seen prior to the coronavirus pandemic. During periods of national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were more men starting on Universal credit. The peaks of these periods were in the 4 weeks to 11 February 2021 (53%) and the 5 weeks to 14 May 2020 (58%).

5. People on Universal Credit

People on Universal Credit counts the number of people with an open claim on the count date who had accepted a claimant commitment and verified their identity. Not every person on Universal Credit on the count date will go on to receive a calculated entitlement or payment for the assessment period.

There were 5.8 million people on Universal Credit on 14 October 2021.

Number of people on Universal Credit has decreased from the peak of 6.0 million in March 2021

People on Universal Credit, Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

The number of people on Universal Credit was 5.8 million on 14 October 2021. This is 1.1% (67,000) lower than on 8 July 2021. The figure for 14 October 2021 is provisional.

The number of people on Universal Credit on a count date peaked at 6.0 million on 11 March 2021. Since then, there was a gradual fall of 3.3% (200,000) in the number of people on Universal Credit between March and October 2021.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) ended on 30 September 2021. It is too early to assess any impact on the number of people on Universal Credit.

In the previous 12 months, October 2020 to September 2021, the average percentage change between provisional and revised figures was a decrease of 1.2%. This is within a range that could continue the gradual fall of people on Universal Credit since March 2021. The size of revisions of the overall total of people on Universal Credit for the 12 previous months is shown in the background information and methodology document.

The number of people on Universal Credit doubled to 6.0 million on 11 March 2021 from 3.0 million on 12 March 2020, the last count date before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This increase occurred as restrictions to the economy and society were introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

54% of people on Universal Credit are women

People on Universal Credit by gender, Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

Women account for 54% of people on Universal Credit on 14 October 2021.

During the early months of the coronavirus pandemic more men than women were coming on to Universal Credit. The proportion of people on Universal Credit that were men increased from 44% in March 2020 to 49% in May 2020.

From the introduction of Universal Credit up until June 2018, men on Universal Credit outnumbered women on the benefit. Since June 2018, this has changed to women outnumbering men. During the initial introduction, Universal Credit was only available to working age individuals with no children and who were seeking employment. This group of people are those that would have claimed income related Jobseeker’s Allowance, which is a benefit that has been typically claimed by men more than women (source: Stat-Xplore).

The broadening of Universal Credit to the people who would have claimed the other legacy benefits has led to more women than men claiming Universal Credit. These benefits, which include Income Support and Child Tax Credit, tended to have been claimed by women.

Age distribution has shifted towards middle and older age groups between October 2020 and October 2021

People on Universal Credit by age group, Great Britain, October 2020 compared to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There has been an upward shift in the age distribution of Universal Credit claimants in the 12 months up to October 2021. The proportion of claimants aged 16 to 29 has fallen from 32% on 8 October 2020 to 29% on 14 October 2021. The 30 and over age groups increased or remained broadly unchanged.

Number of people on the ‘Searching for work’ conditionality regime is down by 510,000 since April 2021

Claimants are required to do certain work-related activities to receive Universal Credit. These activities are determined 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.

Conditionality regime is used in Universal Credit statistics instead of the terms ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’. To help users understand the different regimes more easily, this bulletin uses different terms to the official terms for the labour market regimes. The definitions section of this bulletin provides more information on the different conditionality regimes, and their associated conditionality groups and labour market regimes.

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 number of claimants in each group is constantly changing in our published statistics, month to month.

Conditionality regime (number of people), Universal Credit, Great Britain, October 2016 to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

The number of people on Universal Credit who were not working or on low earnings and required to search for work as a condition of their claim (‘searching for work’) has fallen by 190,000 to 1.8 million (32% of all people on Universal Credit) in October 2021 from 2.0 million (35% of all people on Universal Credit) in July 2021.

Over the same period, the number of people on Universal Credit whose circumstances mean they have no requirements to work (‘no work requirements’) has risen by 100,000 to 1.4 million (24% of all people on Universal Credit) in October 2021 from 1.3 million (22% of all people on Universal Credit) in July 2021.

The number of people on Universal Credit who were working and earning enough not to have any work-related requirements as a condition of their claim (‘working – no requirements’) has remained at 1.2 million (21% of all people on Universal Credit) in October 2021, when compared to July 2021.

These changes have occurred as the restrictions on the economy from the coronavirus pandemic have eased. As people in the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime return to work or a full wage, they will either stop claiming Universal Credit or move into a different conditionality regime such as ‘Working - No work requirements’.

Conditionality regime (proportion), Universal Credit, Great Britain, October 2017 to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

The proportions of people on Universal Credit on each of the conditionality regimes has changed because of the new claimants to Universal Credit during the initial period of the coronavirus pandemic.

Until the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime was on a long-term downward trend. It fell from 62% in October 2016 to 36% in March 2020. This was because Universal Credit was initially only offered to jobseekers. As the benefit broadened to other eligible groups, and more people transferred from legacy benefits, the share of people in ‘searching for work’ has fallen.

The conditionality regime measures which regime an individual is in on the count date. This may not be representative of their entire assessment period. Conditionality regime figures are not the same as the employment measures, which show whether an individual has had earnings during their assessment period. The two measures should only be used together with caution. The background information and methodology document provides more information on this.

Employment rate has remained stable since June 2021

Universal Credit is available to people who are in work and on a low income, as well as to those who are out of work. Most claimants on low incomes will still be paid Universal Credit when they start a new job or increase their hours.

Universal Credit statistics measure employment as receiving employee earnings during the assessment period which is active on the count date.

As earnings for this period can be received up to one month after the count date, this data is not available for processing at the time that other data for people on Universal Credit is available. The later availability of this data means that statistics on employment for people on Universal Credit are published a month later than other statistics for people on Universal Credit.

People on Universal Credit in employment, Great Britain, September 2016 to September 2021

Note: (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

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

The composition of Universal Credit claimants has changed since June 2020. There is now a higher proportion of people on Universal Credit being recorded as in employment. This is because of policy and operational changes, due to the coronavirus pandemic, that have allowed people with higher earnings than previously to be eligible for Universal Credit.

The employment rate has increased for all people on Universal Credit to 40% (2.3 million) on 9 September 2021 from 38% (2.2 million) on 10 September 2020.

The 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.

Not all people in ‘searching for work’ conditionality are unemployed

People on Universal Credit, employment rate by conditionality regime, Great Britain, September 2020 to September 2021

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

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

A claimant’s conditionality regime may not be apparent from their employment status as there are differences between how conditionality regime and employment status are measured.

The conditionality regime is a measure of the regime the claimant is on the count date whereas employment status measures whether a claimant has received any employee earnings during the assessment period that covers the count date. For this reason, a claimant may not necessarily be in employment on the count date.

In the ‘searching for work’ conditionality regime, 87% of claimants received no earnings and are recorded as not in employment for the assessment period covering 9 September 2021. Typically, around 85% of claimants received no earnings and were recorded as not in employment in the months before the coronavirus pandemic.

This means that 13% are recorded as having received earnings and being in employment. These claimants will include those who are in work with earnings below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET). The AET for April 2021 to March 2022 is £345 per month for an individual, and £552 per month for a household.

In the ‘working – no requirements’ regime there are 86% of claimants in employment. There are 14% of claimants who are recorded as not having received earnings and not in employment. These include claimants who are not in work, but who are in a household with earnings above the household Conditionality Earnings Threshold (CET). The CET is the amount of the National Minimum Wage for the claimant’s expected hours of work.

In a couple household, if one of the adults is earning above the household CET, then the claimant is placed in the ‘working – no requirements’ regime regardless of the individual employment status. The household CET is a combination of both adults individual CETs.

The number of people on Universal Credit has increased for most regions since October 2020

Percentage change of people on Universal Credit by region, Great Britain, October 2020 to October 2021

Note: See Stat-Xplore for the complete data series.

Source: DWP Universal Credit statistics.

There have been small regional changes in the number of people on Universal Credit during the last year. London (5%) has seen the largest growth between 8 October 2020 and 14 October 2021.

Over the same period, the South West has seen the largest reduction with a 2.7% decrease in the number of people on Universal Credit.

Claimants from London and the North West make up a greater proportion of people on Universal Credit

People on Universal Credit by region, Great Britain, October 2020 compared to October 2021

Note: (p) provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There is an increase in the percentage of people on Universal Credit that live in London and West Midlands compared with last year.

In October 2021, 17% of people on Universal Credit were living in London, an increase from 16.5% in October 2020. The West Midlands has increased to representing 10% of the total number of people on Universal Credit in October 2021 from 9.8% in October 2020.

There is a decrease in the percentage of people on Universal Credit that live in South West, Scotland and East of England compared with last year.

In October 2021, 7.2% of people on Universal Credit lived in the South West. This is a decrease from 7.6% in October 2020. In Scotland and East of England both saw a decrease of 0.2 percentage points in October 2021 from October 2020, 8.0% from 8.2% and 8.2% from 8.4% respectively.

Other regions have either had minimal or no change as a percentage of the total number of people on Universal Credit over the past year.

For more regional and local level information see the map for claimants on Universal Credit at Jobcentre Plus office level

6. Households on Universal Credit

In Universal Credit statistics a household is a single person or couple living together with or without children. This is sometimes referred to as a benefit unit in other statistics. To be counted in the ‘households on Universal Credit’ series, a household needs to have had their entitlement calculated for the assessment period covering the count date.

Statistics for ‘households on Universal Credit’ are produced 3 months in arrears. For more information and the timeliness of these statistics, refer to the background information and methodology document.

There were 4.9 million households on Universal Credit in August 2021. This is a decrease of 0.1 million since May 2021.

Of these households, 85% (4.2 million) received a payment.

Total households on Universal Credit by in payment and not in payment, Great Britain, August 2017 to August 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit.

There were 4.9 million households on Universal Credit for assessment periods covering 13 August 2021. This is 86,000 fewer households than in May 2021. In August 2020, there were 4.6 million households on Universal Credit.

Proportion of households in payment remained at 85% since May 2021

Households on Universal Credit are categorised as either in payment or not in payment. There were 4.2 million households in payment in August 2021, around 50,000 fewer households compared to May 2021. The proportion of households on Universal Credit in payment was 85% in August 2021. This is broadly unchanged since May 2021.

During April and May 2021, restrictions on the economy due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were gradually eased. In March 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic, 94% of households on Universal Credit were receiving a payment. Operational changes made during the coronavirus pandemic kept claims not in payment open longer.

Households on Universal Credit in payment, Great Britain, August 2017 to August 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There are several reasons why a household may not be in receipt of a payment. For example, when someone moves into work and their level of earnings means that they no longer receive a payment.

Claims are normally considered to be closed if the household earnings reduce their award to £0. However, there is a temporary process change during the coronavirus pandemic where claims are kept open for up to 6 assessment periods of a £0 award. This means there have been more open claims with a £0 award.

In addition, households would have claimed Universal Credit at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic before other support measures were announced. As the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) and other support measures were announced and came into effect, their earnings may not have fallen as much as the claimant expected when they had made their claim. Consequently, their award was tapered down to £0 because of their earnings.

The average (mean) Universal Credit payment is higher than in August 2020

The amount of Universal Credit a household receives is based on the standard Universal Credit allowance plus additional entitlements that they are eligible for.

Above these entitlements households may also receive additional payments, for example a loan advance or mortgage interest payment.

A payment to a household may be lower than their entitlement. For example, where a household is being sanctioned, limited by the benefit cap or earning above the threshold and the payment is reduced by the taper.

Average (mean) Universal Credit payment for in payment households, Great Britain, August 2017 to August 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

The average (mean) amount of Universal Credit paid to households on Universal Credit was £820 per month in August 2021. This is an increase of £50 from £770 in August 2020.

The slight increases in the average Universal Credit award since April 2021 coincide with changes to the advances repayment policy and the cap on total monthly deductions. From 12 April 2021, new advance payments may now be repaid over 24 months rather than 12 months. Together with the reduction of the cap on total monthly reductions from 30% to 25%, this has resulted in smaller deductions to Universal Credit payments.

The higher average payment of Universal Credit since March 2020 is due to annual uprating of Universal Credit entitlements. It is also due to a temporary £1,040 a year increase (£20 a week) to the standard allowance from April 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This temporary increase to the standard allowance ended on 6 October 2021. Statistics covering households on Universal Credit in October 2021 will be released in February 2022.

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.

Additionally, some payments would have increased from a suspension of the recovery of debts for benefit overpayments, Social Fund loans and third-party debts. The recovery of these debts was suspended until early May 2020, when recoveries were gradually reintroduced.

Requirements for work search and work availability were suspended from 30 March 2020 at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. These requirements have been gradually reintroduced from 1 July 2020. This suspension led to fewer reductions from sanctions than normal, increasing the average payment amount.

The average payment is affected by large payments. In August 2021, 8% of households where Universal Credit is in payment were paid more than £1,500. The average payment is increased by these large payments, which are mostly caused by households receiving payments in addition to their standard entitlements.

The median is less affected by large payments. In August 2021, the median payment (£740) was lower than the average (mean) payment of £820.

Average (mean) payment is influenced by the number of high payments

In payment households by payment band and family type, Great Britain, August 2021

Note: figures are provisional. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

More households received a payment in the £300.01 to £400 payment band than any other payment band. In this payment band, 88% of households were ‘single, with no children’. In contrast, in the over £1,500 payment band, 93% were households with children.

For regional data, refer to the household dashboard and household maps at region and local authority level.

Over half of households in payment are single without children

In payment households by family type, Great Britain, August 2017 to August 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series. A methodology change has affected this time series. Before April 2019, families with children are determined by whether the household is awarded a child entitlement. From, and including, April 2019 families with children are determined by a child or young person under 20 that has been verified as living in the household.

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

Households without children accounted for around 55% of households on Universal Credit in payment in August 2021. This is 3 percentage points lower than in August 2020.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic there was a long-term upward trend for the proportion of households with children on Universal Credit claims in payment. This was due to Universal Credit replacing legacy benefits and tax credits for new claims. Migration from legacy benefits and tax credits due to a change in circumstances also contributed to this trend.

A higher proportion of households in payment receive additional entitlements compared to August 2020

Entitlements for in payment households, Great Britain, August 2017 to August 2021

Note: (p) provisional. (r) revised. See Stat-Xplore for the full data series.

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

There are a range of additional entitlements in Universal Credit payments for children, health and disabilities, housing, and carers.

The proportion of Universal Credit payments with each of these entitlements decreased at the same time as the increase in claimants from the coronavirus pandemic. This suggests a greater proportion of new claimants were not claiming additional entitlements. Previously, the proportion of claimants with additional entitlements was on an increasing trend as Universal Credit gradually replaced legacy benefits for new claims.

Support for rental housing costs (housing entitlement) was included in awards for 65% of households receiving a payment in August 2021, the same as the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The proportion of households receiving housing entitlement fell from 65% in March 2020 to 59% in April 2020 where it remained until July 2020. It has gradually been increasing since then.

Households are paid child entitlement to help with the cost of looking after children. In August 2021, 45% of households in payment received child entitlement. This is the highest percentage since before the coronavirus pandemic. The proportion of households receiving child entitlement fell from 46% in March 2020 to 41% in April 2020 where it remained until November 2020. Like housing entitlement, the proportion of households receiving child entitlement has generally been increasing since then.

In July 2021, 97% of households in payment received their full payment on time

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, July 2017 to July 2021

Note: To allow sufficient time for information to be gathered on all payments, figures are not included for the latest month in the series. Payment timeliness statistics are available in Stat-Xplore from April 2019 onwards. Payment timeliness statistics for January 2017 to March 2019 for Universal Credit full service can be found in table 1.1 in the ODS table accompanying this bulletin. Figures prior to April 2019 are Universal Credit full service only. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

Source: Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Payment Timeliness.

Households receiving their full payment on time for all claims in payment has continued an upward trend throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Of households in payment, 97% received all their payment on time in July 2021. This is an increase from 95% in July 2020.

Nearly all households in payment (99%) were paid all or some payment on time in July 2021.

A smaller proportion of new claims received their full payment on time than in July 2020

Payment timeliness (new claims), Universal Credit, Great Britain, July 2017 to July 2021

Note: To allow sufficient time for information to be gathered on all payments, figures are not included for the latest month in the series. Payment timeliness statistics are available in Stat-Xplore from April 2019 onwards. Payment timeliness statistics for January 2017 to March 2019 for Universal Credit full service can be found in table 1.1 in the ODS table accompanying this bulletin. Figures prior to April 2019 are Universal Credit full service only. Figures marked (p) are provisional; figures marked (r) have been revised since the previous release.

Source: Stat-Xplore, Households on Universal Credit, Payment Timeliness.

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.

The proportion of new claims (claims in their first assessment period on the count date) receiving all the first payment on time in July 2021 was 89%. This is slightly lower than the 90% of new claims receiving all their first payment on time in July 2020.

Some or all of the payment was on time for 93% of households receiving their first payment in July 2021. Payment timeliness was higher at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic because of temporary operational and policy changes. This includes redeploying staff within DWP to handle Universal Credit claims, and changes to some verification processes due to the closure of jobcentres.

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 children. 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 four 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. Universal Credit statistics uses the term conditionality regime in place of ‘conditionality group’ and ‘labour market regime’. 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 (ESF 14 to 20) 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 are available in the following documents:

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

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.

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 of these differences between the 2 datasets in the relationship between people and households on Universal Credit section of the background information and methodology document.

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: 14 December 2021

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

Bedroom entitlement for households on Universal Credit

Statistics on households on Universal Credit in social rented accommodation affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy were first published in February 2021. The data included households with a bedroom deduction, the deduction amounts, the local housing allowance, and the broad rental market areas. From this release, we have expanded these statistics to include information on bedroom entitlement.

Bedroom entitlement shows the number of bedrooms that households in the social rented sector are assessed to need under the removal of spare room subsidy policy. This depends on things such as the age and sex of children staying in the household (as they may be expected to share), and the number of people staying in the household.

The data on bedroom entitlement is available on Stat-Xplore.

Withdrawal of claims by day

Statistics on claims were previously available by week and by day. Following user engagement, the daily time series for claims will no longer be published. Instead, time periods will be available by month and by week. Months represent the period between count dates as they currently do for starts. This makes the claims series more consistent with other series in Universal Credit statistics.

Withdrawal of individual counts for claims and starts

Claims and starts previously had two counts available: total and individuals. Following user engagement, the individuals measure has been permanently withdrawn. Universal Credit statistics counts all claims made by an individual within a 30-day period as 1 claim, there is no difference between individuals and totals in the monthly time periods available on Stat-Xplore for claims and starts.

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

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

Statistician: Andrew Etherington

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: 978-1-78659-311-5

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