The Department for Work and Pensions published ad hoc statistics on 22 November 2023 estimating the number and type of families and individuals in Great Britain that will benefit from the uprating of benefits in April 20241.
The figures cover families in receipt of at least one benefit administered by the DWP or HM Revenue and Customs that is subject to uprating in April 20241. The release also includes an estimate of the number of individuals living in those families, broken down by type of individual1.
"These statistics provide an estimate of the number of families in Great Britain that are in receipt of at least one DWP-administered or HMRC-administered benefit which will be subject to uprating in April 2024."
The statistics also set out example benefit amounts, described by the department as showing how uprating will affect benefit amounts for specific family types1. The release does not state the number of families or individuals in the summary text, and no overall caseload figure, caseload breakdown or example amounts appear in the published summary1. The department describes the release as ad hoc statistics rather than a regular statistical series1.
The publication does not set out the percentage increase that will apply from April 2024, nor the rates that will result, beyond the example amounts for specific family types1. It also does not cover Northern Ireland, referring to Great Britain1. The uprating itself takes effect in April 2024, and the statistics were published on 22 November 20231.
Why it matters for households
The release concerns households in Great Britain receiving at least one DWP or HMRC administered benefit that is subject to uprating in April 20241. For those households, the amounts paid will change from April 2024, and the statistics are intended to estimate how many families and individuals are in that position and what the change means for example family types1. The figures are estimates published ahead of the uprating taking effect, so they describe the population expected to be affected rather than confirmed caseloads after the event1. How rates rise each April, including the role of CPI and past freezes, is set out in our guide to annual increases, and the wider system is covered in our guide to benefits in the UK.
What happens next
The uprating applies from April 20241. The published summary does not set out further dated steps, such as a confirmed percentage increase or a date for updated statistics, and none has been reported in it1.
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