The proportion of Pension Credit claims with Unfulfilled Eligibility rose to 13 in 100 claims in the financial year ending (FYE) 2026, from 10 in 100 claims in FYE 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said in statistics published on 14 May 20261. The department described the increase as statistically significant1.
Unfulfilled Eligibility is the extra money a claimant could be receiving on a benefit they already get if they reported their circumstances accurately. It is not the same as take-up, which covers people who have not claimed a benefit at all1. The estimates are based on a sample of benefit payments checked for accuracy between September 2024 and October 2025, and are published as official statistics from May 20261.
Across all benefits measured, the total Unfulfilled Eligibility rate was 1.2 per cent (£3.7 billion) in FYE 2026, compared with 1.3 per cent (£3.7 billion) in FYE 2025, a change the department said was not statistically significant1. Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit accounted for 79.7 per cent of the total value, broadly similar to the previous year1.
| Benefit | Unfulfilled Eligibility, FYE 2026 | Rate, FYE 2026 | Claims with Unfulfilled Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Credit | £1,290 million | 1.6% | 79,200 |
| Personal Independence Payment | £950 million | 3.3% | 28,500 |
| Disability Living Allowance | £710 million | 8.5% | 8,300 |
| Total | £3,700 million | 1.2% | 308,600 |
Source: DWP, Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system, FYE 20261
For Pension Credit, the largest source of Unfulfilled Eligibility in FYE 2026 was Income, DWP Benefits, where a claimant fails to tell the department that they have started receiving a qualifying benefit, or that someone no longer receives Carers Allowance, Carers Support Payment or Universal Credit Carer Element for their care. That rate rose to 0.9 per cent from 0.2 per cent in FYE 20251. The Pension Credit Earnings/Employment rate, covering claimants who have not reported reductions in their earnings, fell to 0.0 per cent from 0.1 per cent1.
"The proportion of claims with Unfulfilled Eligibility was 13 in 100 claims in FYE 2026, compared with 10 in 100 claims in FYE 2025. This was a statistically significant increase."
Other benefits moved in different directions. The Housing Benefit Unfulfilled Eligibility rate fell to 1.0 per cent (£130 million) in FYE 2026 from 1.2 per cent (£180 million) in FYE 20251. The Personal Independence Payment rate was 3.3 per cent (£950 million), compared with 4.1 per cent (£1,060 million) in FYE 2025, with no statistically significant change reported1. Disability Living Allowance was last measured in FYE 2024, and its rate fell to 8.5 per cent (£710 million) in FYE 2026 from 11.1 per cent (£750 million) in FYE 2024, a statistically significant decrease driven by Functional Needs, where claimants needed more help or their condition had deteriorated1. The number of DLA claims with Unfulfilled Eligibility fell to 20 in every 100 claims from 25 in every 100 in FYE 20241.
For Universal Credit, the rate was 1.6 per cent (£1,290 million) in FYE 2026, compared with 1.5 per cent (£970 million) in FYE 2025, with around 10 in every 100 claims affected, broadly similar to the previous year1. Unfulfilled Eligibility due to Income, Other, where claimants fail to report decreases or overstate income coming into the household from other sources, rose to 0.1 per cent from 0.0 per cent1. Universal Credit expenditure increased to £79.2 billion in FYE 2026 from £65.3 billion in FYE 20251.
The publication covers Great Britain, with estimates based on reviews of payment correctness in England, Wales and Scotland. Benefit expenditure figures include overseas residents receiving UK benefits, but exclude amounts devolved to the Scottish Government, forecast at £5.8 billion in FYE 20261. Monetary values for earlier years are not adjusted for inflation, and the department recommends comparing rates rather than cash amounts over time1.
Why it matters for households
Unfulfilled Eligibility describes money that people already receiving a benefit are not getting because the department does not hold correct information about their circumstances. For Pension Credit claimants, the rise to 13 in 100 claims means a larger share of claims were affected in FYE 2026 than in FYE 20251. The department states that people are not eligible for increases in the amount of money they receive until it has the correct information, and that reporting accurate information and providing evidence may change the amount of benefit someone is eligible for, in some circumstances upwards1.
The figures are estimates from a sample of payments, not counts of individual claimants, and the department notes that year-on-year comparisons are subject to sampling variability1. The overall rate across all benefits was unchanged in statistical terms, so the Pension Credit movement sits within a wider picture where the total value of Unfulfilled Eligibility was £3.7 billion in both FYE 2026 and FYE 20251.
What happens next
The next edition of the statistics is due in May 20271. The department says it measures Unfulfilled Eligibility to understand its levels, trends and reasons, and that this supports decisions on what action it can take to reduce it1. The National Audit Office considers the amount of Unfulfilled Eligibility when auditing the department's accounts each year1.
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