Policy in Practice finds that the total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7 billion a year
Policy in Practice estimates that the total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7 billion a year. Maximising income through the take up of benefits is essential to support households during the cost of living crisis and prevent further financial crises. Designing an effective safety net that supports struggling families demands an accurate understanding of the level of unclaimed benefits and who is not claiming.
A new robust estimate of unclaimed support
The lack of official and up to date data means that estimates tend to rely on experimental methodologies and figures that are sometimes years old. The methodology employed for estimates provided in this paper is calculated from claim and award data where feasible.
- We estimate that £7.5 billion of Universal Credit goes unclaimed by 1.2 million eligible households. Caseload take up varies between 70% and 90% for national means tested benefits
- Take up is lower for locally administered benefits. Council Tax Support is the most underclaimed, with 2.7 million people missing out on £2.8 billion of support
- Social tariffs are also significantly underclaimed. Broadband social tariffs have the lowest take up, with 97% of eligible households missing out on the tariffs. People on means tested benefits should check for eligibility with their utility providers.
Full report – £19 billion of income related benefits goes unclaimed each year (policyinpractice.co.uk)
