June 2024 survey records £57m of arrears on Universal Credit tenants' accounts

The National Housing Federation (NHF) found that in June 2024 there was a total of £57m of arrears on Universal Credit tenants' accounts, compared with £31m of arrears for residents paying by other means¹. The figures come from the federation's Universal Credit and rent arrears survey, which collects data at the end of each quarter from a sample of housing associations¹.

In the same quarter, 46% of general needs residents were claiming Universal Credit, and 51% of residents paying by Universal Credit were in rent arrears, compared with 36% of residents paying by other means¹. The average arrears per Universal Credit claimant in arrears was £655, against £438 per resident paying by other means¹.

The NHF describes the purpose of the quarterly collection in its own words:

Later quarters show the totals and averages moving. In September 2024 there was £63m of arrears on Universal Credit claimants' accounts, an increase of 11% compared with June, and £25m of arrears for residents paying by other means, a decrease of 19%¹. The average arrears per Universal Credit claimant in arrears was £687, against £447 for other residents¹. By December 2024 the total on Universal Credit accounts was £58m and £23m for other residents, both down by 8% compared with September¹.

Sources: NHF quarterly survey findings¹. The survey does not report a total arrears figure for Universal Credit accounts for March 2025, September 2025 or December 2025 on the page reviewed.

The NHF says it shares the results with colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions "to directly influence Universal Credit policy and practice"¹. The survey page was published on 17 December 2025 and states it is updated regularly¹.

Why it matters for households

The figures cover housing association residents in general needs homes who pay rent through Universal Credit, and the survey tracks how many of them fall behind. In June 2024, just over half of residents paying by Universal Credit were in rent arrears, and the average amount owed by those in arrears was £655¹. Arrears on a Universal Credit account can lead to deductions from the monthly payment, and the survey records the use of alternative payment arrangements, under which rent is paid directly to the landlord; the proportion of Universal Credit claimants with an APA in place was 44% in December 2025, up from 42% in September 2025¹.

The survey also records the gap in average arrears between residents on Universal Credit and those paying by other means. In September 2024 that gap was £240; by September 2025 it was £139¹. The NHF reports that over the year to September 2025 the difference in average arrears between the two groups decreased overall¹.

For anyone dealing with rent arrears, the site's guide to rent arrears sets out the options, and help with rent explains the Universal Credit housing element and Local Housing Allowance. The benefits hub and debt hub cover the wider picture.

What happens next

The NHF says it collects the information at the end of each quarter and that the page is updated regularly¹. No further publication date beyond the 17 December 2025 page date is given¹.