Housing Benefit claims in Great Britain fell by 23.2 per cent to 1.4 million in the year to March 2026, according to the Department for Work and Pensions1. The department's Annual DWP Benefits Statistics Compendium, published on 15 September 2026, records 1,446,900 live Housing Benefit claims at March 2026, down 438,000 on February 2025 and 30,100 on November 20251.
The fall is set against the Move to Universal Credit programme, under which Universal Credit is replacing income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and Housing Benefit for working age claimants1. The department says the move is "close to being complete, with primarily those customers who require time to find an appointee left to complete the process"1. Between January 2026 and the end of April 2026, just over 2,000 migration notices had been sent, compared with 340,000 in the same period in 20251. Universal Credit had 8,289,200 claimants at March 20261.
Other legacy benefits fell over the same period. Employment and Support Allowance dropped 39.0 per cent to 811,800 claimants, and Jobseeker's Allowance fell 5.0 per cent to 76,9001. State Pension recipients rose 2.0 per cent to 13,307,800, and Personal Independence Payment claimants rose to 3,979,9001.
The figures come from the first edition of the release under a new annual format. It is now published once a year, covering data to the end of the previous financial year in March, rather than quarterly1. Because of the change, the March 2026 figures are compared with November 2025 for the previous quarter and February 2025 for the previous year; the department says future releases will compare March to March1. The next release is due on 21 September 20271.
| Benefit | Claimants at March 2026 | Change since February 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| State Pension | 13,307,800 | +256,400 |
| Universal Credit | 8,289,200 | +774,100 |
| Personal Independence Payment | 3,979,900 | +292,500 |
| Attendance Allowance | 1,803,200 | +114,900 |
| Housing Benefit | 1,446,900 | -438,000 |
| Carer's Allowance | 1,408,000 | +56,800 |
| Disability Living Allowance | 1,403,700 | +81,400 |
| Pension Credit | 1,381,700 | -14,200 |
| Employment and Support Allowance | 811,800 | -518,300 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance | 76,900 | -4,000 |
Source: DWP Stat-Xplore, figures rounded to the nearest thousand1. Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance exclude figures for Scotland1.
Why it matters for households
Housing Benefit is a means-tested payment towards rent for people on a low income. The 438,000 fall in claims over the year reflects claimants moving to Universal Credit, where rent help is paid as the housing element of the award rather than as a separate benefit1. For anyone still on Housing Benefit, entitlement continues until the department contacts them about claiming Universal Credit; the compendium states that all remaining legacy claimants of income-related ESA, income-based JSA, working age Housing Benefit, Income Support, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit "have been or are being contacted by DWP" and told they must claim Universal Credit to keep receiving means-tested support1. The practical questions about how the two systems compare, including what is covered and how payments are made, are set out in Housing Benefit vs Universal Credit Housing Costs and Help with rent.
The wider caseload figures also affect households beyond working age. State Pension recipients rose by 256,400 over the year to 13,307,800, and the department notes that State Pension age will gradually increase from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028 under the Pensions Act 20141. Pension Credit stood at 1,381,700 claims, down 14,200 on February 20251. The compendium records that the Pension Credit caseload "stabilised until November 2024 where an upward trend began"1. What Pension Credit covers and the passported help attached to it are explained in Pension Credit.
Disability and carer benefit figures in the release exclude Scotland, because all Scottish recipients of Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment have been transferred from DWP to Social Security Scotland, and DWP no longer administers those benefits there1. The department warns that its statistics for those four benefits "no longer represent the full caseloads of equivalent benefits across Great Britain"1.
What happens next
The next Annual DWP Benefits Statistics Compendium is due on 21 September 2027, on GOV.UK and Stat-Xplore1. From that release, annual comparisons will be made on a consistent March-to-March basis1. More detailed breakdowns, including monthly and quarterly data, remain available through Stat-Xplore1.
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