William Eichler 02 May 2023

Nearly £19bn of benefits go unclaimed

Nearly £19bn of benefits go unclaimed image
Image: Art-Dolgov / Shutterstock.com.

The total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7bn a year, a new study has found.

The report from think tank Policy in Practice estimates that £7.5bn of Universal Credit is unclaimed by 1.2 million eligible households.

The report, entitled Missing out: £19bn of support goes unclaimed each year, also found that £2.9bn of Council Tax Support is unclaimed by over 2.7 million eligible households each year.

The think tank says that benefits go unclaimed because of administrative complexity and a lack of awareness among potential claimants that they are eligible for support.

It also highlighted the stigma associated with claiming benefits and the increasing fragmentation of support.

As well as unclaimed Universal Credit and Council Tax Support, the report estimated there was £2bn in unclaimed Carers Allowance and £1.75bn in Pension Credit. Child Benefit (£1.13bn) and Housing Benefit (pension age) (£929m) were also cited.

The think tank advises councils to identify eligible residents using data analytics and contact them to inform them of the benefits they are missing out on.

What’s happening inside the LGPS? image

What’s happening inside the LGPS?

Get the most informed take on the challenges and opportunities that substantial reform will bring at this year’s PLSA Local Authority Conference.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Family Support Worker

Durham County Council
Grade 6 £27,269 - £30,060
Are you passionate about Early Help and Prevention work? Do you want to work in an ambitious Local Authority with strong leadership and partnership c Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Residential Worker

Durham County Council
Grade 7 £29,093 - £32,654
Salary
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Team Leader

Durham County Council
Grade 8 £31,586 - £35,235
Salary
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Area Principal Educational Psychologist

Durham County Council
£65,432 - £69,399 Soulbury Scale B 8-11 (plus SPA points up to £73,412)
We are looking for an experienced Educational Psychologist with good interpersonal and communication skills who is ready to step up into a Senior Educ Spennymoor
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Enhanced Teaching Assistant

Durham County Council
£25,584 - £27,711 Pro-rata
Enhanced Teaching Assistant Grade 5   £25,584 - £27,711 Pro-rata Part Time 16.25hrs per week, Term Time only + 2 Weeks Permanent Required from 1.9.25 Newton Aycliffe
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner