entitledto publishes updated estimates of unclaimed means-tested benefits

entitledto published updated estimates on 5 May 2023 putting the total value of unclaimed means-tested benefits at £15,060,000,000, spread across 5,745,000 families¹. The figures are estimates rather than official statistics: the company says it updated its Universal Credit based estimates because, although no new data has been released, it is frequently asked for up-to-date figures¹.

The Universal Credit element rests on an assumption that take-up rates for Universal Credit match the average for the six legacy benefits it replaced, "with about 25% of eligible households failing to claim their entitlement"¹. Using the most recent statistical bulletin at the time, which covered November 2022, when 4.9 million households were on Universal Credit and the average payment was £820, entitledto estimates this equates to just over £8 billion unclaimed¹.

Notes to the table: (a) uses the mid-point of the total Council Tax Benefit unclaimed in 2009/10, between £1.7 billion and £2.42 billion, inflated to March 2023 prices; (b) calculated using 2022/23 Child Benefit rates; (c) 2019/20 data inflated to March 2023 prices; (d) not unique families, as some may be entitled to more than one benefit¹.

entitledto notes that its figures are similar to those in a Policy in Practice report published earlier that week, despite different methodologies. It says the Policy in Practice headline figure is larger because it included benefits for which no official figures exist, such as Carer's Allowance, and passported allowances and social tariffs. Both reports show £7.5 billion to £8 billion of Universal Credit unclaimed by around 1.2 million households, and around £3 billion of Council Tax Support unclaimed by around 2.7 million households¹.

The company also points to reduced take-up of Child Benefit since the High Income Charge was introduced in 2013, saying affected families "could be one of the half a million families missing out"¹. It accepts its estimates involve some speculation and says it would use DWP statistics on Universal Credit take-up instead if they were published¹.

Why it matters for households

The estimates describe money that eligible households did not receive, not money that has been withdrawn. On these figures, around 1,215,000 families did not claim Universal Credit, 770,000 did not claim Pension Credit, 770,000 did not claim Child Benefit, 220,000 pension-age households did not claim Housing Benefit and 2,770,000 did not claim Council Tax Support¹. The counts are not unique families, because a household may be entitled to more than one benefit¹.

The dates matter. The Universal Credit estimate runs to November 2022, the Child Benefit figure to August 2022, and the Pension Credit and pension-age Housing Benefit figures to 2019/20, with the latter two and Council Tax Support inflated to March 2023 prices¹. The Council Tax Support data is older still, from 2009/10, and relates to Council Tax Benefit before it was localised in 2013¹. Anyone checking their own position can use the site's guidance on checking what you are entitled to, which covers free calculators and advisers, and the wider benefits pages, including Pension Credit and help with rent.

What happens next

entitledto says it will continue publishing its own estimates until the DWP decides to publish a full set of take-up statistics, and that its free tools remain available for people to work out what support they may be entitled to¹. No date has been given for any DWP publication of Universal Credit take-up statistics, and no new official data had been released at the time of the update¹.